nervously

adv

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

"nervously" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nervously” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,441. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,441
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nervously · nervously · English

nervously · rank #20,441 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,441
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nagging

Nearest frequency peer: nagging (-2 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 “nervously”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nervously” 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).

nervously vs nervous
78% similar

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

Key facts for nervously
PropertyValue
Headwordnervously
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,441
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nervously”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nervouslylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nagging” (#20,439), “nighttime” (#20,443), “mutiny” (#20,438). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nervously” is #20,441. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around nervously, anadverb. Corpus frequency is #20,441 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for nervously, with forms such as "enrvously", "nerovusly", and "nerrvously". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nervous", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nervous + -ly. The correct English form is nervously, spelled N-E-R-V-O-U-S-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He paced nervously as he waited for the important phone call.
  2. Then he could see the modest bookseller, somewhat clammy in his extremities and lost within his academic robe and hood, nervously fidgeting his mortar-board, haled forward by ushers, and tottering rubescent before the chancellor, provost, president (or whoever it might be) who hands out the diploma.

Etymology

From nervous + -ly.

This word in other languages

nerviosamente(Español)nerveusement(Français)nervös(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enrvously
  • nerovusly
  • nerrvously
  • nervosuly
  • nervoulsy
  • nervouslly
  • nervouslyy
  • nervoussly
  • nervousyl
  • nervuosly
  • nervvously
  • nevrously
  • nnervously
  • nrevously

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nervously - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

enrvously2nerovusly2nerrvously1nervosuly2nervoulsy2nervouslly1nervouslyy1nervoussly1
Edit distance from "nervously"

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 "nervously"?
"nervously" is spelled N-E-R-V-O-U-S-L-Y.
What does "nervously" mean?
As an adverb, "nervously" means: In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.
What words are commonly confused with "nervously"?
"nervously" is commonly confused with "nervous". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "nervously"?
From nervous + -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 "nervously", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nighttime#20,443nonlinear#20,444musically#20,437numbering#20,447

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

precarious14 variantsSanderson14 variantsinventing14 variantsinserting14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list