frankly
frank·ly/fɹæŋkli/adverb
frankly is spelled F-R-A-N-K-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables (frank·ly). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, frankly means “In a frank or candid manner, especially in a way that may seem too open, excessively honest, or slightly blunt” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in frankly?
| Letters | 7: F-R-A-N-K-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: frank·ly |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,565th 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 frankly?
Frankly appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th 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 frankly?
- UK /fɹæŋkli/
- UK [ˈfɹʷæŋklɪi̯] ~ [ˈfɹʷæŋklɪ]
- British /ˈfɹaŋklɪj/
Frankly has 2 syllables, split frank·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-frankly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of frankly
- franklier comparative
- more frankly comparative
- frankliest superlative
- most frankly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does frankly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a frank or candid manner, especially in a way that may seem too open, excessively honest, or slightly blunt.
to speak frankly
- 2
In truth, to tell the truth.
Most of what they said was, frankly, a pack of lies.
- 3
To a degree large enough as to be plainly evident.
frankly septic
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Frankly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | franchement |
| Portuguese | francamente |
| Spanish | francamente |
| German | ehrlich gesagt, um ehrlich zu sein |
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 frankly come from?
From frank + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).