imperatively

adv

"imperatively" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an imperative manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imperatively · imperatively · English

imperatively · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" 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 imperatively
PropertyValue
Headwordimperatively
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “imperatively” in English

imperativelyranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

imperatively is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an imperative manner.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for imperatively, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From imperative + -ly. The correct English form is imperatively, spelled I-M-P-E-R-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an imperative manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1625, John Donne, Sermon preached 26 April, 1625, in Fifty Sermons, Volume 2, London: M.F., J. Marriot and R. Royston, 1649, Sermon 33, p. 299, […] being a mother, and having the dignity of a Parent upon her, she does not proceed supplicatorily, she does not pray them, nor intreat them, she does not say, I would you would go forth, and I would you would l…
  2. Improvement is imperatively needed.

Etymology

From imperative + -ly.

This word in other languages

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "imperatively"?
"imperatively" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.
What does "imperatively" mean?
As an adverb, "imperatively" means: In an imperative manner.
What is the origin of the word "imperatively"?
From imperative + -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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list