friendly

/ˈfɹɛnd.li/

//ˈfɹɛnd.li// adj

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

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

The verdict

“friendly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,300 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,300
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

friendly vs friends
75% similar
friendly vs friend
75% similar

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

Key facts for friendly
PropertyValue
Headwordfriendly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɹɛnd.li/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,300
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “friendly” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). friendly lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for friendly is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɹɛnd.li/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,300 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for friendly, with forms such as "ffriendly", "firendly", and "freindly". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "friends", "friend", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English frendly, freendly, frendely, frendlich, from Old English frēondlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndlīkaz, equivalent to friend + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian früntelk, fjuntelk (“friendly”), West Frisian freonlik (“friendly”), Dutch … The correct English form is friendly, spelled F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.
  2. 2
    Inviting, characteristic of friendliness.
  3. 3
    Having an easy or accepting relationship with something.
  4. 4
    Compatible with, or not damaging to (the compounded noun).
  5. 5
    Without any hostility.
  6. 6
    Promoting the good of any person; favourable; propitious.
  7. 7
    Of or pertaining to friendlies (friendly noun sense 2, below). Also applied to other bipolar confrontations, such as team sports.
  8. 8
    Being or relating to two or more natural numbers with a common abundancy.

Etymology

From Middle English frendly, freendly, frendely, frendlich, from Old English frēondlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndlīkaz, equivalent to friend + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian früntelk, fjuntelk (“friendly”), West Frisian freonlik (“friendly”), Dutch vriendelijk (“friendly”), German Low German fründelk, frünnelk (“friendly”), German freundlich (“friendly”). Doublet of friendlike.

Synonyms

affectionateamiableamicablechummycompanionablecongenialcordialfacilefamiliarfriendlygenialhospitablemateypersonablesimpaticowelcoming

Antonyms

hostileunfriendlynon-friendlynonfriendlybrusquestandoffish

This word in other languages

amistoso(Español)amical(Français)freundlich(Deutsch)amigável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffriendly,firendly,freindly,friednly,frienddly,friendlly,friendlyy,friendyl,frienldy,frienndly,frinedly,frriendly,rfiendly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffriendly1firendly2freindly2friednly2frienddly1friendlly1friendlyy1friendyl2
Edit distance from "friendly"

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 "friendly"?
"friendly" is spelled F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹɛnd.li/.
What does "friendly" mean?
As an adjective, "friendly" means: Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.
What words are commonly confused with "friendly"?
"friendly" is commonly confused with "friends", "friend". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "friendly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "friendly" is /ˈfɹɛnd.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 "friendly"?
From Middle English frendly, freendly, frendely, frendlich, from Old English frēondlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndlīkaz, equivalent to friend + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian früntelk, fjuntelk (“friendly”), West Frisian freonlik (“friendly... 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.

Using “friendly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfɹɛnd.li/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “friends” - see the side-by-side comparison. friendly vs friends
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list