broadly

/ˈbɹɔːd.li/

//ˈbɹɔːd.li// adv

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

The verdict

“broadly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,290. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,290
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Widely and openly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-broadly · broadly · English

broadly · rank #9,290 · 11 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,290
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bot

Nearest frequency peer: bot (-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 “broadly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “broadly” 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).

broadly vs brody
71% similar
broadly vs Broadway
63% similar
broadly vs broad
71% similar

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

Key facts for broadly
PropertyValue
Headwordbroadly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈbɹɔːd.li/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,290
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “broadly”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).broadlylands 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 “bot” (#9,289), “calcium” (#9,291), “bibliography” (#9,288). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “broadly” is #9,290. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around broadly (IPA /ˈbɹɔːd.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #9,290 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 broadly, with forms such as "bbroadly", "boradly", and "braodly". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "brody", "Broadway", "broad", 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 broad + -ly. The correct English form is broadly, spelled B-R-O-A-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Widely and openly.
  2. 2
    Broadly speaking; in a wide manner; liberally; in a loose sense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [W]hen he caught sight of her running towards him like that, he smiled broadly.
  2. All these were based broadly on the management framework of the old companies, except that the former Southern and North Eastern Areas of the old L.N.E.R. became separate management units, while the former L.M.S.R. and L.N.E.R. lines north of the Border were fused into a self-contained Scottish Region.

Etymology

From broad + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbroadly
  • boradly
  • braodly
  • broaddly
  • broadlly
  • broadlyy
  • broadyl
  • broaldy
  • brodaly
  • brroadly
  • rboadly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of broadly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbroadly1boradly2braodly2broaddly1broadlly1broadlyy1broadyl2broaldy2
Edit distance from "broadly"

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 "broadly"?
"broadly" is spelled B-R-O-A-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɔːd.li/.
What does "broadly" mean?
As an adverb, "broadly" means: Widely and openly.
What words are commonly confused with "broadly"?
"broadly" is commonly confused with "brody", "Broadway", "broad". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "broadly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "broadly" is /ˈbɹɔːd.li/. 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 "broadly"?
From broad + -ly. 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 "broadly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list