bitterly

/ˈbɪtəɹli/

//ˈbɪtəɹli// adv

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

"bitterly" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bitterly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,768. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,768
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a bitter manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bitterly · bitterly · English

bitterly · rank #19,768 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,768
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bloodshed

Nearest frequency peer: bloodshed (+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 “bitterly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bitterly” 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).

bitterly vs buttery
75% similar
bitterly vs butterfly
78% similar
bitterly vs bitter
75% similar

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

Key facts for bitterly
PropertyValue
Headwordbitterly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈbɪtəɹli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#19,768
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bitterly”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bitterlylands 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 “bloodshed” (#19,769), “boils” (#19,770), “believable” (#19,765). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bitterly” is #19,768. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around bitterly (IPA /ˈbɪtəɹli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #19,768 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bitterly, with forms such as "bbitterly", "biterly", and "bitetrly". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "buttery", "butterfly", "bitter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bitterli, biterli, biterliche, from Old English biterlīċe, bitterlīċe (“bitterly”), equivalent to bitter + -ly. Cognate with German Low German bitterlik (“bitterly”), German bitterlich (“bitterly”), Swedish bitterligen (“bitterly”). The correct English form is bitterly, spelled B-I-T-T-E-R-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a bitter manner.
  2. 2
    Extremely

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.
  2. Heidi threw herself down beside Clara's chair and began to cry bitterly.

Etymology

From Middle English bitterli, biterli, biterliche, from Old English biterlīċe, bitterlīċe (“bitterly”), equivalent to bitter + -ly. Cognate with German Low German bitterlik (“bitterly”), German bitterlich (“bitterly”), Swedish bitterligen (“bitterly”).

This word in other languages

amargamente(Español)amèrement(Français)bitterlich(Deutsch)amargamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbitterly
  • biterly
  • bitetrly
  • bittelry
  • bitterlly
  • bitterlyy
  • bitterrly
  • bitteryl
  • bittrely
  • btiterly
  • ibtterly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bitterly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbitterly1biterly1bitetrly2bittelry2bitterlly1bitterlyy1bitterrly1bitteryl2
Edit distance from "bitterly"

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 "bitterly"?
"bitterly" is spelled B-I-T-T-E-R-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪtəɹli/.
What does "bitterly" mean?
As an adverb, "bitterly" means: In a bitter manner.
What words are commonly confused with "bitterly"?
"bitterly" is commonly confused with "buttery", "butterfly", "bitter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bitterly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bitterly" is /ˈbɪtəɹli/. 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 "bitterly"?
From Middle English bitterli, biterli, biterliche, from Old English biterlīċe, bitterlīċe (“bitterly”), equivalent to bitter + -ly. Cognate with German Low German bitterlik (“bitterly”), German bitterlich (“bitterly”), Swedish bitterligen (“bitter... 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 "bitterly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

airfield#19,754consular#19,798Costello#19,800coworker#19,801

Similar misspelling depth

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

breaths11 variantsbumping11 variantscrumble11 variantsVenetian11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list