lightly
/ˈlaɪtli/adverb
lightly is spelled L-I-G-H-T-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, lightly means “In a light manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lightly?
| Letters | 7: L-I-G-H-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is lightly?
Lightly appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd 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 lightly?
- /ˈlaɪtli/
Lightly has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lightly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lightly
- lightlier comparative
- more lightly comparative
- lightliest superlative
- most lightly superlative
- lighty
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lightly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a light manner.
As a teacher, I don't take rudeness in class lightly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lightly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a light manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | légèrement |
| German | leicht |
| Portuguese | levemente, levianamente |
| Spanish | ligeramente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lightly come from?
From Middle English lyghtly, liȝtliche, lihtliche, from Old English lēohtlīċe, equivalent to light + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).