imperfectly

adv

"imperfectly" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imperfectly” is an uncommon English word, ranked #61,554 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#61,554
frequency rank, English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.

Key facts for imperfectly
PropertyValue
Headwordimperfectly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters11
Frequency rank#61,554
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imperfectly” 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). imperfectly 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 imperfectly is 11 letters long, classified as an adverb. Corpus data places it at rank #61,554 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for imperfectly, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From imperfect + -ly or im- + perfectly. The correct English form is imperfectly, spelled I-M-P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.

Etymology

From imperfect + -ly or im- + perfectly.

Antonyms

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); 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 "imperfectly"?
"imperfectly" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y.
What does "imperfectly" mean?
As an adverb, "imperfectly" means: In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.
What is the origin of the word "imperfectly"?
From imperfect + -ly or im- + perfectly. 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 “imperfectly”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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