merely
/ˈmɪɹli/adverb
merely is spelled M-E-R-E-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, merely means “Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in merely?
| Letters | 6: M-E-R-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,814th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is merely?
Merely appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th 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 merely?
- UK /ˈmɪəli/
- US /ˈmɪɹli/
- Australia /ˈmɪəli/
Merely 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-merely.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with merely?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as merely from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
What does merely mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more.
- 2
obsoleteWholly, entirely.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Merely in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense only, just, and nothing more:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | simplement, uniquement, seulement |
| German | bloß, lediglich, nur, schier |
| Portuguese | meramente, somente |
| Spanish | meramente, mere |
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 merely come from?
From Middle English mereli, equivalent to mere + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).