lordly
/ˈlɔː(ɹ)dli/
"lordly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lordly” is uncommon English (frequency #82,498 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #82,498
- frequency rank, English
- 16,425
- “L” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or relating to a lord.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lordly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈlɔː(ɹ)dli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #82,498 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lordly” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
lordly is uncommon English at frequency #82,498 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈlɔː(ɹ)dli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
lordly has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lordly, lordlich, from Old English hlāfordlīċ (“lordly; heroic; noble”), equivalent to lord + -ly. The adverb is from Middle English lordly, lordely, lordliche. The correct English form is lordly, spelled L-O-R-D-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Of or relating to a lord.
- 2Having the qualities of a lord; lordlike; noble
- 3Appropriate for, or suitable to, a lord; glorious.
- 4Proud; haughty; imperious; insolent.
Etymology
From Middle English lordly, lordlich, from Old English hlāfordlīċ (“lordly; heroic; noble”), equivalent to lord + -ly. The adverb is from Middle English lordly, lordely, lordliche.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “lordly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-O-R-D-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɔː(ɹ)dli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.