# lately

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈleɪt.li/ · frequency rank #3,568

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **later** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-later)
- **latex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-latex)
- **likely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-likely)
- **latest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-latest)
- **lovely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-lovely)
- **lonely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-lonely)
- **lively** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-lively)
- **latent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-latent)
- **lazily** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-lazily)
- **latency** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-latency)
- **latterly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lately-vs-latterly)
- **late** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/late-vs-lately)
- **label** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/label-vs-lately)
- **Lacey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lacey-vs-lately)
- **lapel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lapel-vs-lately)
- **Laney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laney-vs-lately)
- **Lally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lally-vs-lately)
- **labels** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/labels-vs-lately)
- **lastly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lastly-vs-lately)
- **largely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/largely-vs-lately)

## Common misspellings (9)
`altely`, `laetly`, `latelly`, `latelyy`, `lateyl`, `latley`, `lattely`, `llately`, `ltaely`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lately