# only

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈəʊn.li/ · frequency rank #79

## Definitions
1. Alone in a category.
2. Singularly superior; the best.
3. Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
4. Mere.

## Etymology
From Middle English oonly, only, from Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ (“only; singular; solitary”), from Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). By surface analysis, on(e) + -ly.
* Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.

## Easily confused with
- **oy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-oy)
- **owl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-owl)
- **Ons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-ons)
- **ono** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-ono)
- **onto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-onto)
- **Oslo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-oslo)
- **owls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-owls)
- **orgy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-orgy)
- **Ozzy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-ozzy)
- **onus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-onus)
- **onyx** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-onyx)
- **ould** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-ould)
- **Oxley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-oxley)
- **openly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/only-vs-openly)
- **on** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-only)
- **one** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/one-vs-only)
- **old** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/old-vs-only)
- **oil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oil-vs-only)
- **ole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ole-vs-only)
- **ONG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ong-vs-only)

## Common misspellings (6)
`noly`, `olny`, `onlly`, `onlyy`, `onnly`, `onyl`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/only