firstly

/ˈfɜɹstli/

//ˈfɜɹstli// adv

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

"firstly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“firstly” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,694. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,694
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In the first place; before anything else; first.

Corpus desk

Index EN-firstly · firstly · English

firstly · rank #10,694 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,694
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH faded

Nearest frequency peer: faded (-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 “firstly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “firstly” 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).

firstly vs firsts
71% similar
firstly vs first
71% similar
firstly vs firmly
71% similar

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

Key facts for firstly
PropertyValue
Headwordfirstly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈfɜɹstli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,694
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “firstly”

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).firstlylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “faded” (#10,693), “flavour” (#10,695), “exercising” (#10,692). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “firstly” is #10,694. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around firstly (IPA /ˈfɜɹstli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #10,694 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In the first place; before anything else; first.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for firstly, with forms such as "ffirstly", "firrstly", and "firslty". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "firsts", "first", "firmly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -ly. The correct English form is firstly, spelled F-I-R-S-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In the first place; before anything else; first.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants. […] Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand.
  2. We'll go into more depth with all the specs shortly so anyone less well versed in espresso speak will understand what I'm harping on about, but firstly let's just talk about using the machine.

Etymology

Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -ly.

Synonyms

firstfirst of allfirst up1stlyfirstlyfirst offin the first place

Antonyms

lastly

This word in other languages

primeramente(Español)d'abord(Français)erstens(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffirstly
  • firrstly
  • firslty
  • firsstly
  • firstlly
  • firstlyy
  • firsttly
  • firstyl
  • firtsly
  • fisrtly
  • fristly
  • ifrstly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of firstly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffirstly1firrstly1firslty2firsstly1firstlly1firstlyy1firsttly1firstyl2
Edit distance from "firstly"

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 "firstly"?
"firstly" is spelled F-I-R-S-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɜɹstli/.
What does "firstly" mean?
As an adverb, "firstly" means: In the first place; before anything else; first.
What words are commonly confused with "firstly"?
"firstly" is commonly confused with "firsts", "first", "firmly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "firstly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "firstly" is /ˈfɜɹstli/. 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 "firstly"?
Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -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 "firstly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flavour#10,695dilemma#10,678Lambert#10,718clearer#10,665

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

escaping12 variantsdisgrace12 variantsdevotion12 variantsimpacted12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list