closely

/ˈkləʊsliː/

//ˈkləʊsliː// adv

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

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

The verdict

“closely” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,824
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-closely · closely · English

closely · rank #2,824 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,824
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH causing

Nearest frequency peer: causing (-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 “closely”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “closely” 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).

closely vs closer
71% similar
closely vs closet
71% similar
closely vs closes
71% similar

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

Key facts for closely
PropertyValue
Headwordclosely
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈkləʊsliː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,824
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “closely”

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).closelylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “causing” (#2,823), “constantly” (#2,825), “cake” (#2,822). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “closely” is #2,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around closely (IPA /ˈkləʊsliː/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #2,824 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for closely, with forms such as "cclosely", "cllosely", and "cloesly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "closer", "closet", "closes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From close + -ly. The correct English form is closely, spelled C-L-O-S-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a close manner.
  2. 2
    secretly; privately

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Finnish and Estonian are closely related languages.
  2. The borderline between East and West Berlin was very closely guarded.

Etymology

From close + -ly.

This word in other languages

cercanamente(Español)étroitement(Français)dicht(Deutsch)de perto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclosely
  • cllosely
  • cloesly
  • closelly
  • closelyy
  • closeyl
  • closley
  • clossely
  • clsoely
  • colsely
  • lcosely

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of closely - 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.

cclosely1cllosely1cloesly2closelly1closelyy1closeyl2closley2clossely1
Edit distance from "closely"

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 "closely"?
"closely" is spelled C-L-O-S-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkləʊsliː/.
What does "closely" mean?
As an adverb, "closely" means: In a close manner.
What words are commonly confused with "closely"?
"closely" is commonly confused with "closer", "closet", "closes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "closely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "closely" is /ˈkləʊsliː/. 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 "closely"?
From close + -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 "closely", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

causing#2,823contest#2,826depends#2,828invited#2,839

Similar misspelling depth

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

officially11 variantsportion11 variantsrespond11 variantsultimate11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list