obviously
ob·vi·ous·ly/ˈɒ(b).vi.əs.li/adverb
obviously is spelled O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (ob·vi·ous·ly). It appears 63 times per million words in written English, the 1,668th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, obviously means “In an obvious or clearly apparent manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in obviously?
| Letters | 9: O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ob·vi·ous·ly |
| In writing | 63 times per million words; the 1,668th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is obviously?
Obviously appears 63 times per million words in written English, the 1,668th 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 obviously?
- UK /ˈɒ(b).vi.əs.li/
- UK /ˈɒ(b).vɪəs.li/
- UK /ˈɒ(b).vjəs.li/
Obviously has 4 syllables, split ob·vi·ous·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-obviously.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of obviously
- more obviously comparative
- most obviously superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obviously mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In an obvious or clearly apparent manner.
She was in floods of tears and obviously very upset.
- 2
colloquialUsed as a filler word, or to introduce information even when not obvious.
You weren't to know, but I've spoken to, obviously, Jim about this, and ...
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate obviously?
Wiktionary records 4 abbreviations of obviously: obv, obv., obvi, obvs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obviously in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in an obvious manner; clearly apparent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | clairement, évidemment |
| German | augenscheinlich, offenbar, offenkundig, offensichtlich, sichtlich |
| Portuguese | obviamente |
| Spanish | obviamente, a ojos vistas |
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 obviously come from?
From obvious + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).