lamely
/ˈleɪmli/adverb
lamely is spelled L-A-M-E-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, lamely means “In the manner of one who is lame” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lamely?
| Letters | 6: L-A-M-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 107,757th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is lamely?
Lamely appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th 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 lamely?
- /ˈleɪmli/
Lamely has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lamely.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lamely?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as lamely.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: malley.
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 lamely
- more lamely comparative
- most lamely superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lamely mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In the manner of one who is lame.
- 2
colloquialIn a foolish or ineffective way.
He lamely tried to lie his way out of the situation, but he wasn't really trying and no-one believed him.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does lamely come from?
From lame + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).