distantly

adv

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

"distantly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“distantly” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,115. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,115
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At a distance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-distantly · distantly · English

distantly · rank #43,115 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,115
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disobedient

Nearest frequency peer: disobedient (-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 “distantly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “distantly” 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).

distantly vs distinctly
80% similar
distantly vs distant
78% similar
distantly vs dismantle
78% similar

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

Key facts for distantly
PropertyValue
Headworddistantly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters9
Frequency rank#43,115
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “distantly”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).distantlylands 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 “disobedient” (#43,114), “divestment” (#43,116), “disinfection” (#43,113). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “distantly” is #43,115. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around distantly, anadverb. Corpus frequency is #43,115 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for distantly, with forms such as "ddistantly", "disatntly", and "disstantly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "distinctly", "distant", "dismantle", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From distant + -ly. The correct English form is distantly, spelled D-I-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    At a distance.
  2. 2
    In a distant manner; with detachment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The horizon was distantly visible in the grey light of dawn.
  2. I’m distantly related to the truly great writer, Chaim Potok, which for a magazine editor seems like a good thing.

Etymology

From distant + -ly.

This word in other languages

entfernt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddistantly
  • disatntly
  • disstantly
  • distanlty
  • distanntly
  • distantlly
  • distantlyy
  • distanttly
  • distantyl
  • distatnly
  • distnatly
  • disttantly
  • ditsantly
  • dsitantly
  • idstantly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of distantly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddistantly1disatntly2disstantly1distanlty2distanntly1distantlly1distantlyy1distanttly1
Edit distance from "distantly"

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 "distantly"?
"distantly" is spelled D-I-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y.
What does "distantly" mean?
As an adverb, "distantly" means: At a distance.
What words are commonly confused with "distantly"?
"distantly" is commonly confused with "distinctly", "distant", "dismantle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "distantly"?
From distant + -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 "distantly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dutifully#43,125dysplasia#43,126ecologist#43,128embodying#43,134

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

deprecated15 variantsforecasted15 variantsheadwaters15 variantsinimitable15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list