firmly

/ˈfɝmli/

//ˈfɝmli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“firmly” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,134. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,134
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a firm or definite or strong manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-firmly · firmly · English

firmly · rank #7,134 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,134
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flour

Nearest frequency peer: flour (+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 “firmly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “firmly” 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).

firmly vs firstly
71% similar
firmly vs firm
67% similar
firmly vs filly
67% similar

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

Key facts for firmly
PropertyValue
Headwordfirmly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈfɝmli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,134
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “firmly”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).firmlylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “flour” (#7,135), “escort” (#7,132), “GDP” (#7,136). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “firmly” is #7,134. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around firmly (IPA /ˈfɝmli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #7,134 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for firmly, with forms such as "ffirmly", "fimrly", and "firlmy". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "firstly", "firm", "filly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fermely; equivalent to firm + -ly. The correct English form is firmly, spelled F-I-R-M-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a firm or definite or strong manner.
  2. 2
    Securely.
  3. 3
    Definitively.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She corrected him firmly but gently.
  2. Tie the rope firmly to the post.

Etymology

From Middle English fermely; equivalent to firm + -ly.

This word in other languages

firmemente(Español)sicher(Deutsch)firmemente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffirmly
  • fimrly
  • firlmy
  • firmlly
  • firmlyy
  • firmmly
  • firmyl
  • firrmly
  • frimly
  • ifrmly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffirmly1fimrly2firlmy2firmlly1firmlyy1firmmly1firmyl2firrmly1
Edit distance from "firmly"

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 "firmly"?
"firmly" is spelled F-I-R-M-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɝmli/.
What does "firmly" mean?
As an adverb, "firmly" means: In a firm or definite or strong manner.
What words are commonly confused with "firmly"?
"firmly" is commonly confused with "firstly", "firm", "filly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "firmly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "firmly" is /ˈfɝmli/. 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 "firmly"?
From Middle English fermely; equivalent to firm + -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 "firmly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

escort#7,132Geneva#7,137kindly#7,150leaked#7,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

inspire10 variantsinterim10 variantscapitol10 variantsadmiral10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list