newly
new·ly/ˈnuli/adverb
newly is spelled N-E-W-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (new·ly). It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, newly means “Very recently/lately; in the immediate past” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in newly?
| Letters | 5: N-E-W-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: new·ly |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is newly?
Newly appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce newly?
- UK /ˈnjuːli/
- British /ˈnjʉwlɪj/
- US /ˈnuli/
Newly has 2 syllables, split new·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-newly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with newly?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as newly from its last stressed vowel (/uli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of newly
- more newly comparative
- most newly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does newly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Very recently/lately; in the immediate past.
She smelled the newly budding flowers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Newly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Very recently:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nouvellement, récemment |
| German | neu |
| Portuguese | recém- |
| Spanish | nuevamente, recién |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does newly come from?
From Middle English newly, newely, neweliche, from Old English nīewlīċe (“newly”), equivalent to new + -ly. Compare Dutch nieuwelijks, German neulich, Danish nylig, Icelandic nýlega. More at new, -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).