mainly
/ˈmeɪnli/
"mainly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mainly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,490 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #2,490
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Chiefly; for the most part.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mainly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈmeɪnli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #2,490 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mainly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mainly is 6 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmeɪnli/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,490 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for mainly, with forms such as "aminly", "mailny", and "mainlly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "many", "manly", "manny", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English maynly; equivalent to main + -ly. The correct English form is mainly, spelled M-A-I-N-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Chiefly; for the most part.
- 2Forcefully, vigorously.
- 3Of the production of a sound: loudly, powerfully.
- 4To a great degree; very much.
Etymology
From Middle English maynly; equivalent to main + -ly.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aminly,mailny,mainlly,mainlyy,mainnly,mainyl,manily,mianly,mmainly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mainly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "mainly"?
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Using “mainly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-I-N-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmeɪnli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “many” - see the side-by-side comparison. mainly vs many
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.