lowly

/ˈləʊli/

//ˈləʊli// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"lowly" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lowly” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,420. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,420
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not high; not elevated in place; low.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lowly · lowly · English

lowly · rank #20,420 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,420
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Loretta

Nearest frequency peer: Loretta (-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 “lowly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lowly” 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).

lowly vs loy
60% similar
lowly vs lowry
80% similar
lowly vs low
60% similar

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

Key facts for lowly
PropertyValue
Headwordlowly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈləʊli/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,420
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lowly”

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).lowlylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Loretta” (#20,419), “lucid” (#20,421), “Loki” (#20,418). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lowly” is #20,420. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around lowly (IPA /ˈləʊli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,420 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for lowly, with forms such as "llowly", "lolwy", and "lowlly". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "loy", "lowry", "low", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From low + -ly; compare Middle English lowly. The correct English form is lowly, spelled L-O-W-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not high; not elevated in place; low.
  2. 2
    Low in rank or social importance.
  3. 3
    Not lofty or sublime; humble.
  4. 4
    Having a low esteem of one's own worth; humble; meek; free from pride.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And those whom Tiber's holy forests hide, Or Circe's hills from the main land divide; Where Ufens glides along the lowly lands, Or the black water of Pomptina stands.
  2. And I watched you waltz from tree to tree As I slunk in my lowly lair

Etymology

From low + -ly; compare Middle English lowly.

This word in other languages

humble(Français)niedrig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llowly
  • lolwy
  • lowlly
  • lowlyy
  • lowwly
  • lowyl
  • lwoly
  • olwly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lowly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

llowly1lolwy2lowlly1lowlyy1lowwly1lowyl2lwoly2olwly2
Edit distance from "lowly"

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 "lowly"?
"lowly" is spelled L-O-W-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊli/.
What does "lowly" mean?
As an adjective, "lowly" means: Not high; not elevated in place; low.
What words are commonly confused with "lowly"?
"lowly" is commonly confused with "loy", "lowry", "low". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lowly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lowly" is /ˈləʊli/. 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 "lowly"?
From low + -ly; compare Middle English lowly. 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 "lowly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lucid#20,421Lexus#20,413leans#20,409Lacey#20,405

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Loretta8 variantsjunkie8 variantsinjure8 variantsOakley8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list