beastly

/ˈbiːstli/

//ˈbiːstli// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"beastly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beastly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,752. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,752
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.

Corpus desk

Index EN-beastly · beastly · English

beastly · rank #38,752 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,752
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH becket

Nearest frequency peer: becket (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “beastly”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “beastly” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

beastly vs beauty
71% similar
beastly vs beasts
71% similar
beastly vs Beatty
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for beastly
PropertyValue
Headwordbeastly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbiːstli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,752
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “beastly”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).beastlylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “becket” (#38,753), “bayard” (#38,750), “beetroot” (#38,754). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beastly” is #38,752. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around beastly (IPA /ˈbiːstli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #38,752 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for beastly, with forms such as "baestly", "bbeastly", and "beaslty". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "beauty", "beasts", "Beatty", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English beestly, bestely, beastelich, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”). The correct English form is beastly, spelled B-E-A-S-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
  2. 2
    Similar to the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of human beings.
  3. 3
    Abominable; very unpleasant; hideous.
  4. 4
    Of computer hardware or motor vehicles etc.: ostentatiously powerful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how beastly appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. beastly culture
  2. beastly weather

Etymology

From Middle English beestly, bestely, beastelich, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”).

This word in other languages

garstig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • baestly
  • bbeastly
  • beaslty
  • beasstly
  • beastlly
  • beastlyy
  • beasttly
  • beastyl
  • beatsly
  • besatly
  • ebastly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beastly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

baestly2bbeastly1beaslty2beasstly1beastlly1beastlyy1beasttly1beastyl2
Edit distance from "beastly"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "beastly"?
"beastly" is spelled B-E-A-S-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbiːstli/.
What does "beastly" mean?
As an adjective, "beastly" means: Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
What words are commonly confused with "beastly"?
"beastly" is commonly confused with "beauty", "beasts", "Beatty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beastly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beastly" is /ˈbiːstli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "beastly"?
From Middle English beestly, bestely, beastelich, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "beastly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bawling#38,749balling#38,742bonjour#38,763bulwark#38,770

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

beetroot11 variantsBanerjee11 variantsbluffing11 variantsautumnal11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list