openly

/ˈoʊpənli/

//ˈoʊpənli// adv

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

"openly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“openly” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,990. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,990
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an open manner; visibly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-openly · openly · English

openly · rank #5,990 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,990
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH nowadays

Nearest frequency peer: nowadays (-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 “openly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “openly” 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).

openly vs opens
67% similar
openly vs overly
67% similar
openly vs only
67% similar

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

Key facts for openly
PropertyValue
Headwordopenly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈoʊpənli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,990
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “openly”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nowadays” (#5,989), “overview” (#5,991), “noon” (#5,988). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “openly” is #5,990. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around openly (IPA /ˈoʊpənli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #5,990 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In an open manner; visibly.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for openly, with forms such as "oepnly", "opelny", and "openlly". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "opens", "overly", "only", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From open + -ly. The correct English form is openly, spelled O-P-E-N-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an open manner; visibly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer;
  2. The openly ridiculous plot has The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) scheming to win the Pirate Of The Year competition, even though he’s a terrible pirate, far outclassed by rivals voiced by Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek.

Etymology

From open + -ly.

This word in other languages

abiertamente(Español)ouvertement(Français)offen(Deutsch)abertamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oepnly
  • opelny
  • openlly
  • openlyy
  • opennly
  • openyl
  • opnely
  • oppenly
  • poenly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oepnly2opelny2openlly1openlyy1opennly1openyl2opnely2oppenly1
Edit distance from "openly"

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 "openly"?
"openly" is spelled O-P-E-N-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈoʊpənli/.
What does "openly" mean?
As an adverb, "openly" means: In an open manner; visibly.
What words are commonly confused with "openly"?
"openly" is commonly confused with "opens", "overly", "only". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "openly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "openly" is /ˈoʊpənli/. 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 "openly"?
From open + -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 "openly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parish#5,994mixing#5,984potato#5,998potter#5,999

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

locally9 variantshumble9 variantshappily9 variantsthrone9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list