blithely
/ˈblaɪðli/adverb
blithely is spelled B-L-I-T-H-E-L-Y: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, blithely means “Without care, concern, or consideration” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in blithely?
| Letters | 8: B-L-I-T-H-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,788th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is blithely?
Blithely appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce blithely?
- US /ˈblaɪðli/
Blithely has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-blithely.ogg, En-au-blithely.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of blithely
- more blithely comparative
- most blithely superlative
- blythely
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does blithely mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Without care, concern, or consideration.
As the bombs fell on the city, the woman blithely continued with her chores.
- 2
In a joyful, carefree manner.
- 3
obsoleteIn a kind manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Blithely in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | ungerührt, unbekümmert |
| Spanish | despreocupadamente , alegremente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does blithely come from?
From Middle English blythely, blyþely, bliþeliche, from Old English blīþelīċe (“gladly, blithely”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]; compare Dutch blijdelijk. By surface analysis, blithe + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).