initially

/ɪˈnɪʃəli/

//ɪˈnɪʃəli// adv

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

"initially" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“initially” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,068. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,068
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At the beginning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-initially · initially · English

initially · rank #3,068 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,068
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inch

Nearest frequency peer: inch (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “initially”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “initially” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

initially vs initials
78% similar
initially vs initial
78% similar

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

Key facts for initially
PropertyValue
Headwordinitially
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ɪˈnɪʃəli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,068
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “initially”

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).initiallylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “inch” (#3,067), “junior” (#3,069), “improvement” (#3,066). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “initially” is #3,068. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around initially (IPA /ɪˈnɪʃəli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,068 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "At the beginning.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for initially, with forms such as "iintially", "iniitally", and "initailly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "initials", "initial", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From initial + -ly. The correct English form is initially, spelled I-N-I-T-I-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    At the beginning.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Initially, I found city life incredibly difficult, but now I'm used to it.
  2. In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

Etymology

From initial + -ly.

Synonyms

at firstinitiallyin the first placeoriginallyto begin withto start with

Antonyms

finallymedially

This word in other languages

inicialmente(Español)initialement(Français)zunächst(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iintially
  • iniitally
  • initailly
  • initiallyy
  • initialy
  • initialyl
  • initilaly
  • inittially
  • innitially
  • intiially
  • niitially

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of initially - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

iintially2iniitally2initailly2initiallyy1initialy1initialyl2initilaly2inittially1
Edit distance from "initially"

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 "initially"?
"initially" is spelled I-N-I-T-I-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈnɪʃəli/.
What does "initially" mean?
As an adverb, "initially" means: At the beginning.
What words are commonly confused with "initially"?
"initially" is commonly confused with "initials", "initial". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "initially"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "initially" is /ɪˈnɪʃəli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "initially"?
From initial + -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 "initially", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

formation#3,059extensive#3,056returning#3,081criticism#3,051

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

highway11 variantsmonster11 variantsobtained11 variantsOlympic11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list