lately
late·ly/ˈleɪt.li/adverb
lately is spelled L-A-T-E-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (late·ly). It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,558th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, lately means “Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lately?
| Letters | 6: L-A-T-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: late·ly |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,558th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 lately?
Lately appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,558th 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 lately?
- /ˈleɪt.li/
Lately has 2 syllables, split late·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lately.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lately
- latelier comparative
- more lately comparative
- lateliest superlative
- most lately superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lately mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
I'd lately returned from Japan.
- 2
slangIn a late manner; after-the-fact.
Don't try to come lately and change your answer now after you've heard everyone else's response.
- 3
Formerly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does lately come from?
From Middle English lately, latly, equivalent to late + -ly. Compare Old English lætlīċe (“slowly, tardily”), Middle Low German lātlîk (“careless, slack, sloppy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).