instantly

/ˈɪnstəntli/

//ˈɪnstəntli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“instantly” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,864. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,864
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At once; without delay.

Corpus desk

Index EN-instantly · instantly · English

instantly · rank #4,864 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,864
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH implemented

Nearest frequency peer: implemented (-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 “instantly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “instantly” 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).

instantly vs intently
78% similar
instantly vs instant
78% similar
instantly vs insanely
78% similar

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

Key facts for instantly
PropertyValue
Headwordinstantly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈɪnstəntli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,864
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “instantly”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “implemented” (#4,863), “invasion” (#4,865), “hosts” (#4,862). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “instantly” is #4,864. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around instantly (IPA /ˈɪnstəntli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #4,864 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for instantly, with forms such as "innstantly", "insatntly", and "insstantly". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "intently", "instant", "insanely", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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

Definition

  1. 1
    At once; without delay.
  2. 2
    Urgently; with insistence.
  3. 3
    At the same time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When the neighbours' dog barked, ours instantly replied with a howl.
  2. Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.

Etymology

From instant + -ly.

Synonyms

immediatelyinstantaneously

This word in other languages

al instante(Español)instantanément(Français)unmittelbar(Deutsch)instantaneamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innstantly
  • insatntly
  • insstantly
  • instanlty
  • instanntly
  • instantlly
  • instantlyy
  • instanttly
  • instantyl
  • instatnly
  • instnatly
  • insttantly
  • intsantly
  • isntantly
  • nistantly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of instantly - 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.

innstantly1insatntly2insstantly1instanlty2instanntly1instantlly1instantlyy1instanttly1
Edit distance from "instantly"

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 "instantly"?
"instantly" is spelled I-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnstəntli/.
What does "instantly" mean?
As an adverb, "instantly" means: At once; without delay.
What words are commonly confused with "instantly"?
"instantly" is commonly confused with "intently", "instant", "insanely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "instantly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instantly" is /ˈɪnstəntli/. 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 "instantly"?
From instant + -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 "instantly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

legendary#4,869reception#4,885coalition#4,838certified#4,833

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

explaining15 variantsdiscipline15 variantsQueensland15 variantsdirections15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list