expressly
/ɪkˈspɹɛsli/
"expressly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“expressly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,403 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #15,403
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In an express or explicit manner; in a clear or specific manner.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | expressly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ɪkˈspɹɛsli/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #15,403 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “expressly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for expressly is 9 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪkˈspɹɛsli/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,403 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for expressly, with forms such as "epxressly", "experssly", and "exppressly". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "expressway", "express", "expressed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From express + -ly. The correct English form is expressly, spelled E-X-P-R-E-S-S-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In an express or explicit manner; in a clear or specific manner.
- 2Exclusively or specifically.
Etymology
From express + -ly.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epxressly,experssly,exppressly,expreslsy,expresly,expresslly,expresslyy,expressyl,exprressly,exprsesly,exrpessly,exxpressly,xepressly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of expressly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "expressly"?
What does "expressly" mean?
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Using “expressly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-P-R-E-S-S-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪkˈspɹɛsli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “expressway” - see the side-by-side comparison. expressly vs expressway
- 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.