firmly
firm·ly/ˈfɝmli/adverb
firmly is spelled F-I-R-M-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (firm·ly). It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, firmly means “In a firm or definite or strong manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in firmly?
| Letters | 6: F-I-R-M-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: firm·ly |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 7,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is firmly?
Firmly appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce firmly?
- US /ˈfɝmli/
- UK /ˈfɜːmli/
Firmly has 2 syllables, split firm·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-firmly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of firmly
- firmlier comparative
- more firmly comparative
- firmliest superlative
- most firmly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does firmly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a firm or definite or strong manner.
She corrected him firmly but gently.
- 2
Securely.
Tie the rope firmly to the post.
- 3
Definitively.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Firmly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a firm or definite or strong manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sicher, fest |
| Portuguese | firmemente |
| Spanish | firmemente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does firmly come from?
From Middle English fermely; equivalent to firm + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).