partly

/ˈpɑɹtli/

//ˈpɑɹtli// adv

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

The verdict

“partly” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,318. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,318
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In part, or to some degree, but not completely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-partly · partly · English

partly · rank #4,318 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,318
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Oregon

Nearest frequency peer: Oregon (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “partly”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “partly” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

partly vs party
83% similar
partly vs parts
67% similar
partly vs Patty
50% similar

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

Key facts for partly
PropertyValue
Headwordpartly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈpɑɹtli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,318
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “partly” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Oregon” (#4,317), “petition” (#4,319), “nuts” (#4,316). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around partly (IPA /ˈpɑɹtli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #4,318 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In part, or to some degree, but not completely.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for partly, with forms such as "aprtly", "parlty", and "parrtly". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "party", "parts", "Patty", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From part + -ly. The correct English form is partly, spelled P-A-R-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In part, or to some degree, but not completely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They had partly finished the house, so they could move in before winter; the car was partly visible in the garage.
  2. Five minutes into the game the Black Cats were facing a mountain, partly because of West Brom's newly-found ruthlessness in front of goal but also as a result of the home side's defensive generosity.

Etymology

From part + -ly.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprtly
  • parlty
  • parrtly
  • partlly
  • partlyy
  • parttly
  • partyl
  • patrly
  • ppartly
  • pratly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of partly - 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.

aprtly2parlty2parrtly1partlly1partlyy1parttly1partyl2patrly2
Edit distance from "partly"

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 "partly"?
"partly" is spelled P-A-R-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑɹtli/.
What does "partly" mean?
As an adverb, "partly" means: In part, or to some degree, but not completely.
What words are commonly confused with "partly"?
"partly" is commonly confused with "party", "parts", "Patty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "partly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "partly" is /ˈpɑɹtli/. 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 "partly"?
From part + -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 "partly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "partly". Here's where to go from here.

  • "partly" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "party". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,318 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list