gently
gen·tly[ˈd͡ʒɛ̃ɾ̃li]adverb
gently is spelled G-E-N-T-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (gen·tly). It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, gently means “Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gently?
| Letters | 6: G-E-N-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: gen·tly |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th 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 gently?
Gently appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 gently?
- /ˈd͡ʒɛntli/
- US [ˈd͡ʒɛ̃ɾ̃li]
- US [ˈd͡ʒɛnli]
Gently has 2 syllables, split gen·tly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-gently.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gently
- gentlier comparative
- more gently comparative
- gentliest superlative
- most gently superlative
- gentlely
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gently mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly.
- 2
In a gentle manner; to a gentle degree.
- 3
Quietly: without much noise or motion.
- 4
From a gentle or high-class family.
gently born
- 5
obsoleteIn the manner of one of gentle birth; in a manner that reflects the traditional virtues of the gentry: courteously, nobly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gently in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a gentle manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sanft |
| Portuguese | gentilmente |
| Spanish | mansamente, suavemente, delicadamente, gentilmente, tiernamente, cuidadosamente |
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 gently come from?
From Middle English gentilly, gentlych, gentilliche, equivalent to gentle + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).