boldly
bold·ly/ˈboʊldli/adverb
boldly is spelled B-O-L-D-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (bold·ly). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, boldly means “In a bold manner; with confidence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in boldly?
| Letters | 6: B-O-L-D-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bold·ly |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,101st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is boldly?
Boldly appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st 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 boldly?
- UK /ˈbəʊldli/
- UK [ˈbɒʊldli]
- US /ˈboʊldli/
Boldly has 2 syllables, split bold·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-boldly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with boldly?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as boldly from its last stressed vowel (/oʊldli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of boldly
- boldlier comparative
- more boldly comparative
- boldliest superlative
- most boldly superlative
- bouldly
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does boldly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a bold manner; with confidence.
to boldly go where no man has gone before
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Boldly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a bold manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hardiment |
| German | kühn, tapfer |
| Portuguese | audazmente |
| Spanish | audazmente, valientemente |
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 boldly come from?
From Middle English boldely, boldeliche, baldeliche, from Old English bealdlīċe (“boldly, earnestly”), equivalent to bold + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).