evilly

/ˈiːvəli/

//ˈiːvəli// adv

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

"evilly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“evilly” is uncommon English (frequency #88,318 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,318
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In an evil manner.

Key facts for evilly
PropertyValue
Headwordevilly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈiːvəli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#88,318
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “evilly” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). evilly lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

evilly is uncommon English at frequency #88,318 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈiːvəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an evil manner.".

evilly doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From evil + -ly, replacing earlier evil (“evilly”). The correct English form is evilly, spelled E-V-I-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an evil manner.

Etymology

From evil + -ly, replacing earlier evil (“evilly”).

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 "evilly"?
"evilly" is spelled E-V-I-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːvəli/.
What does "evilly" mean?
As an adverb, "evilly" means: In an evil manner.
How do you pronounce "evilly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "evilly" is /ˈiːvəli/. 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 "evilly"?
From evil + -ly, replacing earlier evil (“evilly”). 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.

Using “evilly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-V-I-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈiːvəli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list