mistakenly

/mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li/

//mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li// adv

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

"mistakenly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mistakenly” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,077. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,077
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Wrongly; erroneously.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mistakenly · mistakenly · English

mistakenly · rank #16,077 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #16,077
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mould

Nearest frequency peer: mould (+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 “mistakenly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mistakenly” 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).

mistakenly vs mistaken
80% similar

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

Key facts for mistakenly
PropertyValue
Headwordmistakenly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li/
Letters10
Frequency rank#16,077
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mistakenly”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).mistakenlylands 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 “mould” (#16,078), “mens” (#16,075), “neuroscience” (#16,079). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mistakenly” is #16,077. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around mistakenly (IPA /mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #16,077 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for mistakenly, with forms such as "imstakenly", "misatkenly", and "misstakenly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "mistaken", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mistaken + -ly. The correct English form is mistakenly, spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-N-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wrongly; erroneously.
  2. 2
    By accident; by mistake; in error (without intention to do so).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I mistakenly assumed that the shop was still there.
  2. Most Americans mistakenly believe that they must see specialists for almost every medical problem.

Etymology

From mistaken + -ly.

This word in other languages

equivocadamente(Español)à tort(Français)irrtümlich(Deutsch)erradamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imstakenly
  • misatkenly
  • misstakenly
  • mistaeknly
  • mistakelny
  • mistakenlly
  • mistakenlyy
  • mistakennly
  • mistakenyl
  • mistakkenly
  • mistaknely
  • mistkaenly
  • misttakenly
  • mitsakenly
  • mmistakenly
  • msitakenly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mistakenly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imstakenly2misatkenly2misstakenly1mistaeknly2mistakelny2mistakenlly1mistakenlyy1mistakennly1
Edit distance from "mistakenly"

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 "mistakenly"?
"mistakenly" is spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-N-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li/.
What does "mistakenly" mean?
As an adverb, "mistakenly" means: Wrongly; erroneously.
What words are commonly confused with "mistakenly"?
"mistakenly" is commonly confused with "mistaken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mistakenly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mistakenly" is /mɪˈsteɪ.kən.li/. 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 "mistakenly"?
From mistaken + -ly. 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 "mistakenly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oppressive#16,086durability#16,012Cumberland#15,998coronation#15,993

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

insensitive16 variantssecretariat16 variantsspecialised16 variantsentertainer16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list