hotly

adv

"hotly" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hotly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,602 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#31,602
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - With great amounts of heat.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hotly vs hoy
60% similar
hotly vs howl
60% similar
hotly vs hots
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hotly
PropertyValue
Headwordhotly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,602
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hotly” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hotly lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hotly is 5 letters long, classified as an adverb. Corpus data places it at rank #31,602 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hotly, with forms such as "hhotly", "holty", and "hotlly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hoy", "howl", "hots", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *hotly, *hatliche, from Old English hātlīċe (“ardently, fervently”); equivalent to hot + -ly. The correct English form is hotly, spelled H-O-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    With great amounts of heat.
  2. 2
    In a heated manner; intensely or vehemently.

Etymology

From Middle English *hotly, *hatliche, from Old English hātlīċe (“ardently, fervently”); equivalent to hot + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhotly,holty,hotlly,hotlyy,hottly,hotyl,htoly,ohtly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hotly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhotly1holty2hotlly1hotlyy1hottly1hotyl2htoly2ohtly2
Edit distance from "hotly"

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 "hotly"?
"hotly" is spelled H-O-T-L-Y.
What does "hotly" mean?
As an adverb, "hotly" means: With great amounts of heat.
What words are commonly confused with "hotly"?
"hotly" is commonly confused with "hoy", "howl", "hots". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "hotly"?
From Middle English *hotly, *hatliche, from Old English hātlīċe (“ardently, fervently”); equivalent to hot + -ly. 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.

Using “hotly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “hoy” - see the side-by-side comparison. hotly vs hoy
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list