gingerly
gin·ger·ly/ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚli/adverb, adjective
gingerly is spelled G-I-N-G-E-R-L-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables (gin·ger·ly). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, gingerly means “In a cautious and delicate manner; (very) carefully or cautiously” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gingerly?
| Letters | 8: G-I-N-G-E-R-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: gin·ger·ly |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd 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 gingerly?
Gingerly appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd 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 gingerly?
- UK /ˈdʒɪn(d)ʒəli/
- US /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚli/
Gingerly has 3 syllables, split gin·ger·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gingerly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gingerly
- more gingerly comparative
- most gingerly superlative
- gingerlier comparative, rare
- gingerliest rare, superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gingerly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a cautious and delicate manner; (very) carefully or cautiously.
He placed the glass jar gingerly on the concrete step.
- 2
obsoleteChiefly of dancing or walking: done with small, dainty steps; daintily; also, with excessive delicacy; affectedly, mincingly.
adjective
- 1
Often of movements: very careful, cautious, or delicate.
- 2
obsoleteOften of a person or the way they move: dainty, delicate; also, excessively delicate; affected, mincing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gingerly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a cautious and delicate manner – see also carefully, cautiously:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | doucement, précautionneusement |
| German | behutsam, sanft, vorsichtig, zimperlich |
| Portuguese | cautelosamente, cuidadosamente |
| Spanish | cautelosamente, cuidadosamente, delicadamente |
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 gingerly come from?
The second element is -ly; the first element may be Anglo-Norman gençur or Old French gençor, gensor, comparative forms (also attested as positives) of gent (“beautiful, noble, pleasant, courteous”). The Oxford English Dictionary notes, however, that there is a gap of a few centuries between the last appearance of gençor, etc., and the first appearance of gingerly. The adjective is derived from the adverb, possibly because -ly is also a suffix forming adjectives.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).