lately

/ˈleɪt.li/

//ˈleɪt.li// adv

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

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

The verdict

“lately” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,568. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,568
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lately · lately · English

lately · rank #3,568 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,568
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH knife

Nearest frequency peer: knife (-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 “lately”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lately” 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).

lately vs later
67% similar
lately vs latex
67% similar
lately vs likely
67% similar

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

Key facts for lately
PropertyValue
Headwordlately
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈleɪt.li/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,568
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lately”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).latelylands 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 “knife” (#3,567), “lowest” (#3,569), “kings” (#3,566). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lately” is #3,568. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lately (IPA /ˈleɪt.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,568 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lately, with forms such as "altely", "laetly", and "latelly". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "later", "latex", "likely", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lately, latly, equivalent to late + -ly. Compare Old English lætlīċe (“slowly, tardily”), Middle Low German lātlîk (“careless, slack, sloppy”). The correct English form is lately, spelled L-A-T-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
  2. 2
    In a late manner; after-the-fact.
  3. 3
    Formerly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'd lately returned from Japan.
  2. It's only lately that I've been well enough to get out of bed.

Etymology

From Middle English lately, latly, equivalent to late + -ly. Compare Old English lætlīċe (“slowly, tardily”), Middle Low German lātlîk (“careless, slack, sloppy”).

Synonyms

freshlyrecently

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • altely
  • laetly
  • latelly
  • latelyy
  • lateyl
  • latley
  • lattely
  • llately
  • ltaely

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lately - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

altely2laetly2latelly1latelyy1lateyl2latley2lattely1llately1
Edit distance from "lately"

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 "lately"?
"lately" is spelled L-A-T-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈleɪt.li/.
What does "lately" mean?
As an adverb, "lately" means: Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
What words are commonly confused with "lately"?
"lately" is commonly confused with "later", "latex", "likely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lately"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lately" is /ˈleɪt.li/. 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 "lately"?
From Middle English lately, latly, equivalent to late + -ly. Compare Old English lætlīċe (“slowly, tardily”), Middle Low German lātlîk (“careless, slack, sloppy”). 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 "lately", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lowest#3,569dragon#3,555remote#3,581repair#3,582

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

stolen9 variantstitles9 variantsaspect9 variantsArthur9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list