critically

/ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.li/

//ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.li// adv

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

"critically" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“critically” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,532. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,532
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-critically · critically · English

critically · rank #8,532 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,532
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH credited

Nearest frequency peer: credited (-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 “critically”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “critically” 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).

critically vs critical
80% similar
critically vs clinically
80% similar
critically vs criminally
80% similar

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

Key facts for critically
PropertyValue
Headwordcritically
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.li/
Letters10
Frequency rank#8,532
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “critically”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).criticallylands 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 “credited” (#8,531), “dem” (#8,533), “credibility” (#8,530). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “critically” is #8,532. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around critically (IPA /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #8,532 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for critically, with forms such as "ccritically", "cirtically", and "criitcally". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "critical", "clinically", "criminally", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From critical + -ly. The correct English form is critically, spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.
  2. 2
    In terms of critique, review, of or by critics
  3. 3
    With close discernment; accurately; exactly.
  4. 4
    At a crisis or critical time; in a situation, place, or condition of decisive consequence.
  5. 5
    Requiring immediate attention; likely to cause a collapse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I looked critically at the frayed carpet of the hotel room.
  2. Girard critically examines Nietzsche's central contention that Christianity is a religion of sublimated vengeance or ressentiment and contents that although Nietzsche is half right about Christians he remains dangerously naive about violence itself.

Etymology

From critical + -ly.

Antonyms

uncritically

This word in other languages

críticamente(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccritically
  • cirtically
  • criitcally
  • critcially
  • critiaclly
  • criticallyy
  • criticaly
  • criticalyl
  • criticcally
  • criticlaly
  • crittically
  • crritically
  • crtiically
  • rcitically

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of critically - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccritically1cirtically2criitcally2critcially2critiaclly2criticallyy1criticaly1criticalyl2
Edit distance from "critically"

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 "critically"?
"critically" is spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.li/.
What does "critically" mean?
As an adverb, "critically" means: In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.
What words are commonly confused with "critically"?
"critically" is commonly confused with "critical", "clinically", "criminally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "critically"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "critically" is /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk.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 "critically"?
From critical + -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 "critically", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

distracted#8,534confession#8,527comprising#8,526committing#8,525

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

attachment14 variantstrademark14 variantsspecialty14 variantssincerely14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list