Skip to main content
PlainSpell

kindly

kind·ly/ˈkaɪn(d)li/adjective, adverb

kindly is spelled K-I-N-D-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (kind·ly). It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, kindly means “Having a kind personality; kind, warmhearted, sympathetic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in kindly?

Letters6: K-I-N-D-L-Y
Syllables2: kind·ly
In writing10 times per million words; the 7,121st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is kindly?

Kindly appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st 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 kindly?

  • US /ˈkaɪn(d)li/

Kindly has 2 syllables, split kind·ly in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-kindly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of kindly

  • kindlier comparative
  • kindliest superlative
  • more kindly comparative
  • most kindly superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does kindly mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Having a kind personality; kind, warmhearted, sympathetic.

    A kindly old man sits on the park bench every afternoon feeding pigeons.

  2. 2

    datedFavourable, gentle, pleasant, tidy, auspicious, beneficent.

  3. 3

    archaicLawful.

  4. 4

    obsoleteNatural; inherent to the kind or race.

adverb

  1. 1

    In a kind manner, out of kindness.

    He kindly offered to take us to the station in his car.

  2. 2

    In a favourable way.

  3. 3

    Used to make a polite request: please.

    Kindly refrain from walking on the grass.

  4. 4

    USWith kind acceptance; used with take.

    I don't take kindly to threats.

  5. 5

    Kind of, somewhat.

  6. 6

    archaicReadily.

  7. 7

    obsoleteNaturally.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Kindly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Portuguesebondoso, gentil, amável (having a kind personality), gentilmente (in a kind manner)
Spanishagradable, bondadoso (having a kind personality), bondadosamente (in a kind manner)
Frenchgentillement, aimablement, gentiment (in a kind manner), veuillez (used to make polite requests)
Germanfreundlicherweise, liebenswürdig (in a kind manner), bitte, gefälligst (used to make polite requests)

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 kindly come from?

From Middle English kyndely, kyndeliche, from Old English cyndelīċ (“natural, kindly”); equivalent to kind + -ly.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after kindly