lastly

/ˈlɑːstli/

//ˈlɑːstli// adv

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

"lastly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lastly” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,410. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,410
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to mark the beginning of the last in a list of items or propositions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lastly · lastly · English

lastly · rank #11,410 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,410
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH liberties

Nearest frequency peer: liberties (+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 “lastly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lastly” 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).

lastly vs lasts
67% similar
lastly vs lusty
67% similar
lastly vs lately
67% similar

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

Key facts for lastly
PropertyValue
Headwordlastly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈlɑːstli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,410
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lastly”

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).lastlylands 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 “liberties” (#11,411), “lipstick” (#11,412), “irrigation” (#11,407). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lastly” is #11,410. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lastly (IPA /ˈlɑːstli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #11,410 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lastly, with forms such as "alstly", "laslty", and "lasstly". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "lasts", "lusty", "lately", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From last + -ly. The correct English form is lastly, spelled L-A-S-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to mark the beginning of the last in a list of items or propositions.
  2. 2
    Used to signal that the speaker is about to yield control of the conversation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Firstly, that's illegal; secondly, it has serious disadvantages; thirdly, it's not necessary; and lastly, did I mention that it's illegal?

Etymology

From last + -ly.

Synonyms

finallylastlast of allfinallyto concludeto sum upin conclusionultimatelyin the endall in allat lastlast but not leastat lengthendlylastly

Antonyms

firstly

This word in other languages

finalement(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alstly
  • laslty
  • lasstly
  • lastlly
  • lastlyy
  • lasttly
  • lastyl
  • latsly
  • llastly
  • lsatly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lastly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

alstly2laslty2lasstly1lastlly1lastlyy1lasttly1lastyl2latsly2
Edit distance from "lastly"

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 "lastly"?
"lastly" is spelled L-A-S-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑːstli/.
What does "lastly" mean?
As an adverb, "lastly" means: Used to mark the beginning of the last in a list of items or propositions.
What words are commonly confused with "lastly"?
"lastly" is commonly confused with "lasts", "lusty", "lately". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lastly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lastly" is /ˈlɑːstli/. 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 "lastly"?
From last + -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 "lastly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

midway#11,419housed#11,394ghetto#11,389Nissan#11,431

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

insured10 variantspersona10 variantsfirearm10 variantsfeather10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list