double-handedly

adv

"double-handedly" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“double-handedly” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Using two people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-double-handedly · double-handedly · English

double-handedly · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for double-handedly
PropertyValue
Headworddouble-handedly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “double-handedly” in English

double-handedlyranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

double-handedly is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for double-handedly, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From double-handed + -ly. The correct English form is double-handedly, spelled D-O-U-B-L-E---H-A-N-D-E-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Using two people.
  2. 2
    Using both hands at the same time.
  3. 3
    By means of two approaches or agents
  4. 4
    Duplicitously or hypocritically.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dinghies are designed to be sailed single-handedly or double-handedly, but some larger cruising dinghies may have room for four or more people on board.
  2. Working double-handedly also conserves your hands in large kneading strokes, for example when you are working on the adductors on the inside of the thigh.

Etymology

From double-handed + -ly.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "double-handedly"?
"double-handedly" is spelled D-O-U-B-L-E---H-A-N-D-E-D-L-Y.
What does "double-handedly" mean?
As an adverb, "double-handedly" means: Using two people.
What is the origin of the word "double-handedly"?
From double-handed + -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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list