closely
/ˈkloʊsli/adverb
closely is spelled C-L-O-S-E-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, closely means “In a close manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in closely?
| Letters | 7: C-L-O-S-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 34 times per million words; the 2,831st 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 closely?
Closely appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st 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 closely?
- UK /ˈkləʊsliː/
- US /ˈkloʊsli/
- Australia /ˈkləʉsli/
Closely 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-closely.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with closely?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as closely from its last stressed vowel (/oʊsli/):
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 closely
- closelier comparative
- more closely comparative
- closeliest superlative
- most closely superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does closely mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a close manner.
Finnish and Estonian are closely related languages.
- 2
obsoletesecretly; privately
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Closely in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a close manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étroitement |
| German | dicht, eng, nah, nahe |
| Portuguese | de perto, proximamente |
| Spanish | cercanamente |
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 closely come from?
From close + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).