elderly

/ˈɛldɚli/

//ˈɛldɚli// adj

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

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

The verdict

“elderly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,593. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,593
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - old; having lived for relatively many years.

Corpus desk

Index EN-elderly · elderly · English

elderly · rank #5,593 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,593
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH earthquake

Nearest frequency peer: earthquake (-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 “elderly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “elderly” 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).

elderly vs elders
71% similar
elderly vs elder
71% similar
elderly vs eagerly
71% similar

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

Key facts for elderly
PropertyValue
Headwordelderly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛldɚli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,593
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “elderly”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).elderlylands 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 “earthquake” (#5,592), “eliminate” (#5,594), “crop” (#5,591). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “elderly” is #5,593. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around elderly (IPA /ˈɛldɚli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,593 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for elderly, with forms such as "edlerly", "eldderly", and "eldelry". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "elders", "elder", "eagerly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From elder + -ly. The correct English form is elderly, spelled E-L-D-E-R-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    old; having lived for relatively many years.
  2. 2
    Of an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The car was parked toward the rear of the shop, an elderly gray-blue Dodge. It looked better than it had in years.
  2. The fleet had been ordered speculatively by Beacon Rail, and intended as heavy shunting and trip locomotives, as well as a viable low-emission replacement for the elderly Class 08/09 'BR Standard large shunter' which dates from the 1950s and 1960s.

Etymology

From elder + -ly.

Synonyms

elderelderlygeriatricgerontologicgerontologicallong in the toothmaturedof a certain ageold as Methuselahon in yearsover the hillseniorsuperannuatedivy-coveredpreservedwintry

Antonyms

young

This word in other languages

anciano(Español)vieux(Français)älter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • edlerly
  • eldderly
  • eldelry
  • elderlly
  • elderlyy
  • elderrly
  • elderyl
  • eldrely
  • eledrly
  • ellderly
  • lederly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of elderly - 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.

edlerly2eldderly1eldelry2elderlly1elderlyy1elderrly1elderyl2eldrely2
Edit distance from "elderly"

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 "elderly"?
"elderly" is spelled E-L-D-E-R-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛldɚli/.
What does "elderly" mean?
As an adjective, "elderly" means: old; having lived for relatively many years.
What words are commonly confused with "elderly"?
"elderly" is commonly confused with "elders", "elder", "eagerly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "elderly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "elderly" is /ˈɛldɚli/. 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 "elderly"?
From elder + -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 "elderly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Collins#5,585casting#5,581lesbian#5,606Belgium#5,575

Similar misspelling depth

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

appearing11 variantspodcast11 variantssmiling11 variantsstating11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list