mostly
/ˈməʊstli/
"mostly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mostly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,568 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #1,568
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole.
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 | mostly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈməʊstli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,568 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mostly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mostly is 6 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈməʊstli/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,568 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for mostly, with forms such as "mmostly", "moslty", and "mosstly". 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, "Mosul", "musty", "motley", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From most + -ly. The correct English form is mostly, spelled M-O-S-T-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole.
- 2To the greatest extent; most.
Etymology
From most + -ly.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mmostly,moslty,mosstly,mostlly,mostlyy,mosttly,mostyl,motsly,msotly,omstly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mostly - 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 "mostly"?
What does "mostly" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "mostly"?
How do you pronounce "mostly"?
What is the origin of the word "mostly"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “mostly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-S-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈməʊstli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Mosul” - see the side-by-side comparison. mostly vs Mosul
- 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.