feebly

/ˈfiːbli/

//ˈfiːbli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“feebly” is uncommon English (frequency #80,448 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,448
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-feebly · feebly · English

feebly · rank #80,448 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,448
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,613
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fede

Nearest frequency peer: Fede (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “feebly”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “feebly” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for feebly
PropertyValue
Headwordfeebly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈfiːbli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#80,448
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “feebly” 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). feebly 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

feebly is uncommon English at frequency #80,448 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈfiːbli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a feeble manner.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for feebly in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English febly; equivalent to feeble + -ly, euphonically blending -le and -ly. Compare nimbly, nobly, and Latinate -ably and -ibly. The correct English form is feebly, spelled F-E-E-B-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a feeble manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Feebly ſhe ſhriekt, but ſo feebly indeed / That Britomart heard not the ſhrilling ſound.
  2. The hurt nigger moaned feebly somewhere nearby, and then fetched a deep sigh that made me mend my pace away from there.

Etymology

From Middle English febly; equivalent to feeble + -ly, euphonically blending -le and -ly. Compare nimbly, nobly, and Latinate -ably and -ibly.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "feebly"?
"feebly" is spelled F-E-E-B-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːbli/.
What does "feebly" mean?
As an adverb, "feebly" means: In a feeble manner.
How do you pronounce "feebly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feebly" is /ˈfiːbli/. 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 "feebly"?
From Middle English febly; equivalent to feeble + -ly, euphonically blending -le and -ly. Compare nimbly, nobly, and Latinate -ably and -ibly. 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 "feebly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

foliar#80,460gabled#80,472gaster#80,478Gillum#80,488
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