earthly

/ˈəːθli/

//ˈəːθli// adj

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

"earthly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“earthly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,069. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,069
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to the earth or this world, as opposed to heaven; terrestrial.

Corpus desk

Index EN-earthly · earthly · English

earthly · rank #19,069 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,069
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH E3

Nearest frequency peer: E3 (-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 “earthly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “earthly” 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).

earthly vs earths
71% similar
earthly vs earthy
86% similar
earthly vs early
71% similar

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

Key facts for earthly
PropertyValue
Headwordearthly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈəːθli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,069
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “earthly”

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).earthlylands 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 “E3” (#19,068), “dodgy” (#19,067), “elective” (#19,071). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “earthly” is #19,069. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around earthly (IPA /ˈəːθli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #19,069 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for earthly, with forms such as "aerthly", "earhtly", and "earrthly". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "earths", "earthy", "early", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English erthely, erthlich, ierðlich, from Old English eorþlīċ, corresponding to earth + -ly. Cognate with Old Norse jarðligr (“earthly”). The correct English form is earthly, spelled E-A-R-T-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to the earth or this world, as opposed to heaven; terrestrial.
  2. 2
    Used for emphasis
  3. 3
    Made of earth; earthy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. earthly joys
  2. The Garden of Earthly Delights

Etymology

From Middle English erthely, erthlich, ierðlich, from Old English eorþlīċ, corresponding to earth + -ly. Cognate with Old Norse jarðligr (“earthly”).

This word in other languages

terrenal(Español)terrestre(Français)weltlich(Deutsch)terreno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aerthly
  • earhtly
  • earrthly
  • earthhly
  • earthlly
  • earthlyy
  • earthyl
  • eartlhy
  • eartthly
  • eatrhly
  • erathly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aerthly2earhtly2earrthly1earthhly1earthlly1earthlyy1earthyl2eartlhy2
Edit distance from "earthly"

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 "earthly"?
"earthly" is spelled E-A-R-T-H-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəːθli/.
What does "earthly" mean?
As an adjective, "earthly" means: Relating to the earth or this world, as opposed to heaven; terrestrial.
What words are commonly confused with "earthly"?
"earthly" is commonly confused with "earths", "earthy", "early". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "earthly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "earthly" is /ˈəːθli/. 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 "earthly"?
From Middle English erthely, erthlich, ierðlich, from Old English eorþlīċ, corresponding to earth + -ly. Cognate with Old Norse jarðligr (“earthly”). 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 "earthly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deserts#19,062favours#19,084couture#19,051forfeit#19,089

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

elective11 variantsCroatian11 variantsforging11 variantsfoundry11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list