laterally

/ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/

//ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li// adv

"laterally" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laterally” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,474. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,474
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Done in a lateral manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laterally · laterally · English

laterally · rank #32,474 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,474
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH larval

Nearest frequency peer: larval (-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 “laterally”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “laterally” 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).

laterally vs literally
89% similar
laterally vs liberally
78% similar
laterally vs lateral
78% similar

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

Key facts for laterally
PropertyValue
Headwordlaterally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,474
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “laterally”

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).laterallylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “larval” (#32,473), “lathe” (#32,475), “Lanarkshire” (#32,472). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laterally” is #32,474. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around laterally (IPA /ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #32,474 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for laterally, with forms such as "alterally", "laetrally", and "latearlly". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "literally", "liberally", "lateral", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lateral + -ly. The correct English form is laterally, spelled L-A-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Done in a lateral manner.
  2. 2
    Relating to the direction to the side.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first known way past the brick wall of Level 29 was a technique that became known as hypertapping. By using a special grip that lets you vibrate a finger over the D-pad directions at least 10 times a second, you can effectively skip the "delayed autoshift" (DAS) that limits how fast pieces can move laterally when the D-pad is held down.
  2. The trial running tests which were made with the vehicles showed that they ride very steadily laterally, with almost complete absence of oscillation at all speeds.

Etymology

From lateral + -ly.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alterally
  • laetrally
  • latearlly
  • laterallyy
  • lateraly
  • lateralyl
  • laterlaly
  • laterrally
  • latreally
  • latterally
  • llaterally
  • ltaerally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alterally2laetrally2latearlly2laterallyy1lateraly1lateralyl2laterlaly2laterrally1
Edit distance from "laterally"

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 "laterally"?
"laterally" is spelled L-A-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/.
What does "laterally" mean?
As an adverb, "laterally" means: Done in a lateral manner.
What words are commonly confused with "laterally"?
"laterally" is commonly confused with "literally", "liberally", "lateral". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "laterally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laterally" is /ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.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 "laterally"?
From lateral + -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 "laterally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list