coarsely

/ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli/

//ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli// adv

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

"coarsely" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coarsely” is uncommon English (frequency #56,017 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,017
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in a coarse manner

Corpus desk

Index EN-coarsely · coarsely · English

coarsely · rank #56,017 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,017
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clothesline

Nearest frequency peer: clothesline (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “coarsely”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “coarsely” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for coarsely
PropertyValue
Headwordcoarsely
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#56,017
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “coarsely” in English

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).coarselyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “clothesline” (#56,016), “codification” (#56,018), “clef” (#56,015). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “coarsely” is #56,017. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

coarsely is uncommon English at frequency #56,017 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "in a coarse manner".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for coarsely, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier coursely, from Middle English coursly (“naturally, logically”); equivalent to coarse + -ly. The correct English form is coarsely, spelled C-O-A-R-S-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    in a coarse manner

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.
  2. Wild nuts, peas, vetch, a legume which had edible seed pods, and grasses were often combined with pulses like beans or lentils, the most commonly identified ingredient, and at times, wild mustard. To make the plants more palatable, pulses, which have a naturally bitter taste, were soaked, coarsely ground or pounded with stones to remove their husk.

Etymology

From earlier coursely, from Middle English coursly (“naturally, logically”); equivalent to coarse + -ly.

This word in other languages

grossièrement(Français)grosseiramente(Português)

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 "coarsely"?
"coarsely" is spelled C-O-A-R-S-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli/.
What does "coarsely" mean?
As an adverb, "coarsely" means: in a coarse manner
How do you pronounce "coarsely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coarsely" is /ˈkɔː(ɹ)sli/. 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 "coarsely"?
From earlier coursely, from Middle English coursly (“naturally, logically”); equivalent to coarse + -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 "coarsely", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Corsican#56,028cradling#56,032Cascadia#55,999Cardwell#55,994

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list