momentarily
/ˈməʊməntəɹəli/
"momentarily" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“momentarily” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,873 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #21,873
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
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 | momentarily |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #21,873 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “momentarily” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for momentarily is 11 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,873 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for momentarily, with forms such as "mmoentarily", "mmomentarily", and "moemntarily". 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, "momentary", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From momentary + -ly. The correct English form is momentarily, spelled M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-I-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
- 2In a moment or very soon; any minute now, any time now.
- 3Progressively; moment by moment.
Etymology
From momentary + -ly.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mmoentarily,mmomentarily,moemntarily,momenatrily,momenntarily,momentairly,momentarilly,momentarilyy,momentariyl,momentarliy,momentarrily,momentraily,momenttarily,mometnarily,mommentarily,momnetarily,ommentarily
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of momentarily - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "momentarily"?
What does "momentarily" mean?
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Using “momentarily”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-I-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “momentary” - see the side-by-side comparison. momentarily vs momentary
- 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.