narrowly

/ˈnɛɹoʊli/

//ˈnɛɹoʊli// adv

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

"narrowly" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“narrowly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,109
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a narrow manner; without flexibility or latitude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-narrowly · narrowly · English

narrowly · rank #12,109 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,109
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Naomi

Nearest frequency peer: Naomi (-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 “narrowly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “narrowly” 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).

narrowly vs narrow
75% similar
narrowly vs narrower
75% similar

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

Key facts for narrowly
PropertyValue
Headwordnarrowly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈnɛɹoʊli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#12,109
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “narrowly”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).narrowlylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Naomi” (#12,108), “negligence” (#12,110), “nexus” (#12,111). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “narrowly” is #12,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around narrowly (IPA /ˈnɛɹoʊli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #12,109 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for narrowly, with forms such as "anrrowly", "narorwly", and "narowly". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "narrow", "narrower", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English narowly, equivalent to narrow + -ly. The correct English form is narrowly, spelled N-A-R-R-O-W-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a narrow manner; without flexibility or latitude.
  2. 2
    Closely; by a narrow margin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They regarded the new idea rather narrowly.
  2. There is now such an immense "microliterature" on hepatics that, beyond a certain point I have given up trying to integrate (and evaluate) every minor paper published—especially narrowly floristic papers.

Etymology

From Middle English narowly, equivalent to narrow + -ly.

Synonyms

closelynarrowly

Antonyms

widely

This word in other languages

étroitement(Français)eng(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anrrowly
  • narorwly
  • narowly
  • narrolwy
  • narrowlly
  • narrowlyy
  • narrowwly
  • narrowyl
  • narrwoly
  • nnarrowly
  • nrarowly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anrrowly2narorwly2narowly1narrolwy2narrowlly1narrowlyy1narrowwly1narrowyl2
Edit distance from "narrowly"

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 "narrowly"?
"narrowly" is spelled N-A-R-R-O-W-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɛɹoʊli/.
What does "narrowly" mean?
As an adverb, "narrowly" means: In a narrow manner; without flexibility or latitude.
What words are commonly confused with "narrowly"?
"narrowly" is commonly confused with "narrow", "narrower". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "narrowly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "narrowly" is /ˈnɛɹoʊli/. 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 "narrowly"?
From Middle English narowly, equivalent to narrow + -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 "narrowly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

obsolete#12,115ruthless#12,132simplest#12,141tempting#12,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

panther11 variantsPerkins11 variantslobster11 variantsrefresh11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list