formally

/ˈfɔː.mə.li/

//ˈfɔː.mə.li// adv

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

"formally" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“formally” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,011. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,011
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a formal manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-formally · formally · English

formally · rank #7,011 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,011
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH evaluate

Nearest frequency peer: evaluate (-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 “formally”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “formally” 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).

formally vs formerly
75% similar
formally vs formal
75% similar
formally vs formality
78% similar

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

Key facts for formally
PropertyValue
Headwordformally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈfɔː.mə.li/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,011
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “formally”

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).formallylands 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 “evaluate” (#7,010), “frames” (#7,012), “enters” (#7,009). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “formally” is #7,011. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around formally (IPA /ˈfɔː.mə.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #7,011 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for formally, with forms such as "fformally", "fomrally", and "foramlly". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "formerly", "formal", "formality", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From formal + -ly. The correct English form is formally, spelled F-O-R-M-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a formal manner.
  2. 2
    In accordance with official procedure.
  3. 3
    In accordance with rigorous rules.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was dressed too formally for the occasion.
  2. He formally filed a complaint, which involved much paperwork.

Etymology

From formal + -ly.

Antonyms

informally

This word in other languages

formalmente(Español)formellement(Français)formalmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fformally
  • fomrally
  • foramlly
  • formallyy
  • formaly
  • formalyl
  • formlaly
  • formmally
  • forrmally
  • fromally
  • ofrmally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of formally - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

fformally1fomrally2foramlly2formallyy1formaly1formalyl2formlaly2formmally1
Edit distance from "formally"

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 "formally"?
"formally" is spelled F-O-R-M-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔː.mə.li/.
What does "formally" mean?
As an adverb, "formally" means: In a formal manner.
What words are commonly confused with "formally"?
"formally" is commonly confused with "formerly", "formal", "formality". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "formally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "formally" is /ˈfɔː.mə.li/. 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 "formally"?
From formal + -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 "formally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

evaluate#7,010delicate#7,003congrats#6,999Caroline#6,996

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Malcolm11 variantsBrandon11 variantsBradley11 variantsmusician11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list