poorly

/ˈpʊə.li/

//ˈpʊə.li// adv

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

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

The verdict

“poorly” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,082. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,082
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poorly · poorly · English

poorly · rank #6,082 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,082
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH polls

Nearest frequency peer: polls (-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 “poorly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “poorly” 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).

poorly vs porky
67% similar
poorly vs prolly
67% similar
poorly vs poor
67% similar

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

Key facts for poorly
PropertyValue
Headwordpoorly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈpʊə.li/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,082
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poorly”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “polls” (#6,081), “Portugal” (#6,083), “pine” (#6,080). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poorly” is #6,082. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around poorly (IPA /ˈpʊə.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #6,082 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for poorly, with forms such as "oporly", "poolry", and "poorlly". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "porky", "prolly", "poor", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poorly, pouerly, poreliche, poureliche, pouerliche, equivalent to poor + -ly. The correct English form is poorly, spelled P-O-O-R-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
  2. 2
    With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage.
  3. 3
    Meanly; without spirit.
  4. 4
    Without skill or merit.
  5. 5
    In a negative manner; with disapproval; unfavorably.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to live poorly
  2. to do poorly in business

Etymology

From Middle English poorly, pouerly, poreliche, poureliche, pouerliche, equivalent to poor + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oporly
  • poolry
  • poorlly
  • poorlyy
  • poorrly
  • pooryl
  • porly
  • poroly
  • ppoorly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poorly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oporly2poolry2poorlly1poorlyy1poorrly1pooryl2porly1poroly2
Edit distance from "poorly"

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 "poorly"?
"poorly" is spelled P-O-O-R-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpʊə.li/.
What does "poorly" mean?
As an adverb, "poorly" means: In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
What words are commonly confused with "poorly"?
"poorly" is commonly confused with "porky", "prolly", "poor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poorly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poorly" is /ˈpʊə.li/. 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 "poorly"?
From Middle English poorly, pouerly, poreliche, poureliche, pouerliche, equivalent to poor + -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 "poorly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

purely#6,089novels#6,074rental#6,091mighty#6,072

Similar misspelling depth

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

lifted9 variantsimport9 variantshunger9 variantsHolland9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list