imperfectly

adv

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

The verdict

“imperfectly” is uncommon English (frequency #61,554 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,554
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imperfectly · imperfectly · English

imperfectly · rank #61,554 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,554
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ili

Nearest frequency peer: Ili (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “imperfectly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “imperfectly” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for imperfectly
PropertyValue
Headwordimperfectly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters11
Frequency rank#61,554
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “imperfectly” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).imperfectlyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Ili” (#61,553), “inauthentic” (#61,555), “incontinent” (#61,556). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imperfectly” is #61,554. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

imperfectly is uncommon English at frequency #61,554 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, without gaining something by him.
  2. Mrs. PAGE is gifted with a pleasing voice, which is yet imperfectly weeded of certain sharpnesses, but seems susceptible of a wide range of melodious inflection.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "imperfectly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list