groundly

/ˈɡɹaʊndli/

//ˈɡɹaʊndli// adj

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

The verdict

“groundly” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Firmly grounded; solid; of education: complete, thorough, well-grounded.

Corpus desk

Index EN-groundly · groundly · English

groundly · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for groundly
PropertyValue
Headwordgroundly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹaʊndli/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “groundly” sits in English frequency

groundly falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

groundly is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɡɹaʊndli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Firmly grounded; solid; of education: complete, thorough, well-grounded.".

Zero misspellings are on record for groundly in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English groundli, growndly, grundlich (“firm, solid; deep, profound; fundamental, radical; of a person: learned, well-grounded”) [and other forms], from ground (“surface of the earth on which one stands; earth, soil; burial site; field of battle… The correct English form is groundly, spelled G-R-O-U-N-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Firmly grounded; solid; of education: complete, thorough, well-grounded.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how groundly appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [A]fter. iiii. yeres was passyd, the sayd two bretherne [Lothair I and Louis the German], withoute defyaunce or groundly cause of warre, assigned or assemblyd a great hoost, such lyke before this daye had not ben seen, and entryd the lymyttys of kynge Charlys [Charles the Bald].
  2. [I]t was therfore thought unto the Kings Highnes and his Counsail expedient, bifore the depeche of this post, to have a mature and groundly consultacion, by deliberate advice, for the more perfite instruccion to be geven unto you in al suche thinges as may occurre and chaunce touching the said commyn matiers; […]

Etymology

From Middle English groundli, growndly, grundlich (“firm, solid; deep, profound; fundamental, radical; of a person: learned, well-grounded”) [and other forms], from ground (“surface of the earth on which one stands; earth, soil; burial site; field of battle, battleground; dry land; flat land; piece of land; region; country; the earth; lowest part, base, bottom; foundation; platform; basis for a doctrine, opinion, etc.; fundamental principle; source; background (of a painting, etc.)”) (from Old English grund (“ground; bottom, foundation; abyss”), from Proto-Germanic *grunduz (“ground; foundation”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to resound; to grumble, roar, thunder”)) + -li (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as ground + -ly (suffix forming adjectives), and is cognate with German gründlich (“careful, thorough; deep, profound”), Swedish grundlig (“thorough; in depth; profound; radical”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "groundly"?
"groundly" is spelled G-R-O-U-N-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹaʊndli/.
What does "groundly" mean?
As an adjective, "groundly" means: Firmly grounded; solid; of education: complete, thorough, well-grounded.
How do you pronounce "groundly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "groundly" is /ˈɡɹaʊndli/. 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 "groundly"?
From Middle English groundli, growndly, grundlich (“firm, solid; deep, profound; fundamental, radical; of a person: learned, well-grounded”) [and other forms], from ground (“surface of the earth on which one stands; earth, soil; burial site; field... 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.

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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