externally

adv

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

The verdict

“externally” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,593. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,593
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - on the surface or the outside

Corpus desk

Index EN-externally · externally · English

externally · rank #19,593 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,593
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH fanbase

Nearest frequency peer: fanbase (+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 “externally”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “externally” 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).

externally vs external
80% similar
externally vs eternally
90% similar

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

Key facts for externally
PropertyValue
Headwordexternally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,593
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “externally”

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).externallylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fanbase” (#19,594), “exponentially” (#19,591), “fermentation” (#19,595). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “externally” is #19,593. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around externally, anadverb. Corpus frequency is #19,593 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "on the surface or the outside".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for externally, with forms such as "etxernally", "exetrnally", and "extenrally". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "external", "eternally", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From external + -ly. The correct English form is externally, spelled E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    on the surface or the outside

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In trumpets for assisting the hearing, all reverbation of the trumpet must be avoided. It must be made thick, of the least elastic materials, and covered with cloth externally. For all reverbation lasts for a short time, and produces new sounds which mix with those which are coming in.

Etymology

From external + -ly.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etxernally
  • exetrnally
  • extenrally
  • exteranlly
  • externallyy
  • externaly
  • externalyl
  • externlaly
  • externnally
  • exterrnally
  • extrenally
  • extternally
  • exxternally
  • xeternally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etxernally2exetrnally2extenrally2exteranlly2externallyy1externaly1externalyl2externlaly2
Edit distance from "externally"

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 "externally"?
"externally" is spelled E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y.
What does "externally" mean?
As an adverb, "externally" means: on the surface or the outside
What words are commonly confused with "externally"?
"externally" is commonly confused with "external", "eternally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "externally"?
From external + -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 "externally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list