indirectly
in·di·rect·ly/ˌɪn.dɪˈɹɛk(t).li/adverb
indirectly is spelled I-N-D-I-R-E-C-T-L-Y: 10 letters and 4 syllables (in·di·rect·ly). It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “directly vs indirectly” about 10 times a month (Bing, United States). As an adverb, indirectly means “In an indirect manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indirectly?
| Letters | 10: I-N-D-I-R-E-C-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: in·di·rect·ly |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is indirectly?
Indirectly appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indirectly?
- US /ˌɪn.dɪˈɹɛk(t).li/
- US /ˌɪn.daɪˈɹɛk(t).li/
- Australia /ˌɪn.dɪˈɹek(t).li/
Indirectly has 4 syllables, split in·di·rect·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-indirectly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with indirectly
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with indirectly?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as indirectly from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of indirectly
- more indirectly comparative
- most indirectly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indirectly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In an indirect manner.
His alcoholism had a direct effect on his health, and indirectly caused problems for others.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate indirectly?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of indirectly: ind..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indirectly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in an indirect manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | indirekt |
| Spanish | indirectamente, indirecte |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indirectly come from?
From Middle English inderectely, indirectly, equivalent to indirect + -ly or in- + directly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).