potentially
/pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/adverb
potentially is spelled P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L-L-Y: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, potentially means “In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in potentially?
| Letters | 11: P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd 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 potentially?
Potentially appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd 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 potentially?
- US /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/
- Australia /pəˈtenʃəli/
Potentially has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-potentially.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of potentially
- more potentially comparative
- most potentially superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does potentially mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way.
- 2
obsoletePowerfully, strongly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Potentially in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | potentiellement |
| Portuguese | potencialmente |
| Spanish | potencialmente, presuntamente |
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.