inadvertently

adv

"inadvertently" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inadvertently” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,252 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#16,252
frequency rank, English
13
letters
21
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unintentionally; because of an oversight.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

inadvertently vs inadvertent
85% similar

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

Key facts for inadvertently
PropertyValue
Headwordinadvertently
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters13
Frequency rank#16,252
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inadvertently” 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). inadvertently 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 inadvertently is 13 letters long, classified as an adverb. Corpus data places it at rank #16,252 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Unintentionally; because of an oversight.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for inadvertently, with forms such as "iandvertently", "inaddvertently", and "inadevrtently". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "inadvertent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inadvertent + -ly. The correct English form is inadvertently, spelled I-N-A-D-V-E-R-T-E-N-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unintentionally; because of an oversight.

Etymology

From inadvertent + -ly.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iandvertently,inaddvertently,inadevrtently,inadveretntly,inadverrtently,inadvertenlty,inadvertenntly,inadvertentlly,inadvertentlyy,inadvertenttly,inadvertentyl,inadvertetnly,inadvertnetly,inadverttently,inadvetrently,inadvretently,inadvvertently,inavdertently,indavertently,innadvertently,niadvertently

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inadvertently - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iandvertently2inaddvertently1inadevrtently2inadveretntly2inadverrtently1inadvertenlty2inadvertenntly1inadvertentlly1
Edit distance from "inadvertently"

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 "inadvertently"?
"inadvertently" is spelled I-N-A-D-V-E-R-T-E-N-T-L-Y.
What does "inadvertently" mean?
As an adverb, "inadvertently" means: Unintentionally; because of an oversight.
What words are commonly confused with "inadvertently"?
"inadvertently" is commonly confused with "inadvertent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "inadvertently"?
From inadvertent + -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 “inadvertently”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-A-D-V-E-R-T-E-N-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “inadvertent” - see the side-by-side comparison. inadvertently vs inadvertent
  • 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