# cruelly

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈkɹuːəli/ · frequency rank #30,747

## Definitions
1. In a cruel manner.

## Etymology
From Middle English cruelly; equivalent to cruel + -ly.

## Easily confused with
- **cruelty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cruelly-vs-cruelty)
- **cruel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cruel-vs-cruelly)
- **crudely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crudely-vs-cruelly)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ccruelly`, `creully`, `crruelly`, `cruellyy`, `cruely`, `cruelyl`, `crulely`, `curelly`, `rcuelly`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cruelly