entirely

/ɪnˈtaɪəli/

//ɪnˈtaɪəli// adv

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

"entirely" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“entirely” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,937. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,937
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To the full or entire extent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-entirely · entirely · English

entirely · rank #1,937 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,937
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entered

Nearest frequency peer: entered (-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 “entirely”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “entirely” 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).

entirely vs entirety
88% similar
entirely vs entire
75% similar

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

Key facts for entirely
PropertyValue
Headwordentirely
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ɪnˈtaɪəli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,937
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “entirely”

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).entirelylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “entered” (#1,936), “facts” (#1,938), “emergency” (#1,935). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “entirely” is #1,937. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around entirely (IPA /ɪnˈtaɪəli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #1,937 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for entirely, with forms such as "enitrely", "enntirely", and "entierly". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "entirety", "entire", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English entyerly, entierly, enterely, entyreliche, equivalent to entire + -ly. The correct English form is entirely, spelled E-N-T-I-R-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To the full or entire extent.
  2. 2
    To the exclusion of others; solely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is entirely up to you where we go, as I’ll be happy with anywhere.
  2. The cake hadn’t entirely been eaten, so some was saved for later.

Etymology

From Middle English entyerly, entierly, enterely, entyreliche, equivalent to entire + -ly.

Synonyms

completelywhollycompletelysolelysolely

This word in other languages

enteramente(Español)entièrement(Français)völlig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enitrely
  • enntirely
  • entierly
  • entirelly
  • entirelyy
  • entireyl
  • entirley
  • entirrely
  • entriely
  • enttirely
  • etnirely
  • netirely

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enitrely2enntirely1entierly2entirelly1entirelyy1entireyl2entirley2entirrely1
Edit distance from "entirely"

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 "entirely"?
"entirely" is spelled E-N-T-I-R-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtaɪəli/.
What does "entirely" mean?
As an adverb, "entirely" means: To the full or entire extent.
What words are commonly confused with "entirely"?
"entirely" is commonly confused with "entirety", "entire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "entirely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entirely" is /ɪnˈtaɪəli/. 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 "entirely"?
From Middle English entyerly, entierly, enterely, entyreliche, equivalent to entire + -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 "entirely", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

electric#1,934festival#1,940citizens#1,930reaction#1,915

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

assistant12 variantsteaching12 variantsexcellent12 variantsadvanced12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list