explicitly

adv

"explicitly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“explicitly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,561 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#7,561
frequency rank, English
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

explicitly vs explicit
80% similar

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

Key facts for explicitly
PropertyValue
Headwordexplicitly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,561
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “explicitly” 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). explicitly lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for explicitly is 10 letters long, classified as an adverb. Corpus data places it at rank #7,561 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "In an explicit manner.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for explicitly, with forms such as "epxlicitly", "exlpicitly", and "expilcitly". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "explicit", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From explicit + -ly. The correct English form is explicitly, spelled E-X-P-L-I-C-I-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an explicit manner.

Etymology

From explicit + -ly.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epxlicitly,exlpicitly,expilcitly,explciitly,expliccitly,explicilty,explicitlly,explicitlyy,explicittly,explicityl,explictily,expliictly,expllicitly,expplicitly,exxplicitly,xeplicitly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epxlicitly2exlpicitly2expilcitly2explciitly2expliccitly1explicilty2explicitlly1explicitlyy1
Edit distance from "explicitly"

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 "explicitly"?
"explicitly" is spelled E-X-P-L-I-C-I-T-L-Y.
What does "explicitly" mean?
As an adverb, "explicitly" means: In an explicit manner.
What words are commonly confused with "explicitly"?
"explicitly" is commonly confused with "explicit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "explicitly"?
From explicit + -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.

Using “explicitly”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-X-P-L-I-C-I-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “explicit” - see the side-by-side comparison. explicitly vs explicit
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list