gradually
grad·u·al·ly/ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəli/adverb
gradually is spelled G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (grad·u·al·ly). It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, gradually means “In a gradual manner; making slow progress; slowly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gradually?
| Letters | 9: G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: grad·u·al·ly |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th 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 gradually?
Gradually appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 gradually?
- /ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəli/
Gradually has 4 syllables, split grad·u·al·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-gradually.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gradually
- more gradually comparative
- most gradually superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gradually mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a gradual manner; making slow progress; slowly.
- 2
obsoleteby degrees
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gradually in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in gradual manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | nach und nach, allmählich, stufenweise, schrittweise |
| Portuguese | gradualmente, pouco a pouco |
| Spanish | gradualmente, paulatinamente |
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 gradually come from?
From gradual + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).