gradually
/ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəli/
"gradually" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gradually” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,045. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #5,045
- frequency rank, English
- 2,313
- “G” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a gradual manner; making slow progress; slowly.
Corpus desk
Index EN-gradually · gradually · English
gradually · rank #5,045 · 12 variants · 1 confusable
- FREQ-COMMON #5,045
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
- VAR-MID 12 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,313
- PHOTO-FINISH Fred
Nearest frequency peer: Fred (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “gradually”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- forming
forming
94,959 corpus weight
- Franklin
Franklin
94,958 corpus weight
- Fred
Fred
94,957 corpus weight
- gradually
gradually
94,956 corpus weight
- gravity
gravity
94,955 corpus weight
- habits
habits
94,954 corpus weight
What this shows “gradually” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gradually |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəli/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #5,045 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gradually”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around gradually (IPA /ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #5,045 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for gradually, with forms such as "gardually", "ggradually", and "gradaully". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "gradual", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From gradual + -ly. The correct English form is gradually, spelled G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a gradual manner; making slow progress; slowly.
- 2by degrees
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how gradually appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The most likely conclusion, the researchers say, is that the Levallois method was not taken to Eurasia by African migrants, but evolved there gradually and independently.
The instrument of this dumbing down in Nineteen Eighty-Four was Newspeak, the official language of the English Socialist Party (Ingsoc). Newspeak was a sort of Totalitarian Esperanto that sought gradually to diminish the range of what was thinkable by eliminating, contracting and manufacturing words.
Etymology
From gradual + -ly.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- gardually
- ggradually
- gradaully
- graddually
- graduallyy
- gradualy
- gradualyl
- gradulaly
- graudally
- grdaually
- grradually
- rgadually
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gradually - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "gradually"?
What does "gradually" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "gradually"?
How do you pronounce "gradually"?
What is the origin of the word "gradually"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "gradually", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).