passively
/ˈpæs.ɪv.li/adverb
passively is spelled P-A-S-S-I-V-E-L-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, passively means “In a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in passively?
| Letters | 9: P-A-S-S-I-V-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is passively?
Passively appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 passively?
- US /ˈpæs.ɪv.li/
Passively has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-passively.ogg, En-au-passively.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does passively mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action.
- 2
In an acquiescent manner; resignedly or submissively.
- 3
In the passive voice; having a passive construction.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Passively in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passivement |
| German | passiv |
| Portuguese | passivamente |
| Spanish | pasivamente |
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 passively come from?
From passive + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).