ly
[liː]noun
ly is spelled L-Y: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ly means “Abbreviation of light year” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ly is lys.
How many letters and syllables are in ly?
| Letters | 2: L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th 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 ly?
Ly appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 ly?
- /-li/
- UK [liː]
- UK [lɪ]
Ly has one syllable (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--ly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ly
Also written: lie.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of ly
- more -ly comparative
- most -ly superlative
- lys plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Abbreviation of light year.
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of ly; light-year
- 2
Initialism of lethal yellowing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | -ment , al, a.l., AL, A.L. |
| German | -lich, -ig, -isch, -haft , -erweise |
| Portuguese | -oso, -ento, -mente |
| Spanish | -oso , -mente, de manera/forma/modo, a lo, en clave, con carácter/tono |
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.