compulsively

adv

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

"compulsively" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“compulsively” is uncommon English (frequency #56,676 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,676
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-compulsively · compulsively · English

compulsively · rank #56,676 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,676
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH commercialism

Nearest frequency peer: commercialism (-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 “compulsively”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for compulsively
PropertyValue
Headwordcompulsively
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters12
Frequency rank#56,676
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “compulsively” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).compulsivelyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “commercialism” (#56,675), “concretely” (#56,677), “combust” (#56,674). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “compulsively” is #56,676. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

compulsively is uncommon English at frequency #56,676 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a compulsive manner; obsessively.".

compulsively has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From compulsive + -ly. The correct English form is compulsively, spelled C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-V-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a compulsive manner; obsessively.

Etymology

From compulsive + -ly.

This word in other languages

compulsivamente(Español)compulsivamente(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 "compulsively"?
"compulsively" is spelled C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-V-E-L-Y.
What does "compulsively" mean?
As an adverb, "compulsively" means: In a compulsive manner; obsessively.
What is the origin of the word "compulsively"?
From compulsive + -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 "compulsively", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cumulatively#56,687deflationary#56,701equivalently#56,732Beaconsfield#56,606

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list