inefficiently

adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“inefficiently” is uncommon English (frequency #72,421 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,421
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-inefficiently · inefficiently · English

inefficiently · rank #72,421 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,421
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH IndE

Nearest frequency peer: IndE (-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 “inefficiently”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for inefficiently
PropertyValue
Headwordinefficiently
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters13
Frequency rank#72,421
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “inefficiently” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).inefficientlyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “IndE” (#72,420), “incomparably” (#72,419), “inordinately” (#72,423). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inefficiently” is #72,421. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

inefficiently is uncommon English at frequency #72,421 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an inefficient manner.".

inefficiently doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inefficient + -ly. The correct English form is inefficiently, spelled I-N-E-F-F-I-C-I-E-N-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an inefficient manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. What labour there was, particularly maintenance personnel, worked inefficiently and staff were prone to down tools at the whim of the local shop steward.

Etymology

From inefficient + -ly.

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 "inefficiently"?
"inefficiently" is spelled I-N-E-F-F-I-C-I-E-N-T-L-Y.
What does "inefficiently" mean?
As an adverb, "inefficiently" means: In an inefficient manner.
What is the origin of the word "inefficiently"?
From inefficient + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

groundskeeper#72,363erythematosus#72,282morphogenesis#72,561electromagnet#72,271

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list