precariously

adv

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

"precariously" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“precariously” is uncommon English (frequency #50,735 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,735
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a precarious manner; dangerously.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precariously · precariously · English

precariously · rank #50,735 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,735
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Prendergast

Nearest frequency peer: Prendergast (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “precariously”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “precariously” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for precariously
PropertyValue
Headwordprecariously
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters12
Frequency rank#50,735
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “precariously” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Prendergast” (#50,736), “potluck” (#50,733), “prepositions” (#50,737). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “precariously” is #50,735. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

precariously is uncommon English at frequency #50,735 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a precarious manner; dangerously.".

No misspelling variants are generated for precariously in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From precarious + -ly. The correct English form is precariously, spelled P-R-E-C-A-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a precarious manner; dangerously.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A Greater Anglia Class 755 stands precariously close to where ballast has been washed away at Haddiscoe on January 30.

Etymology

From precarious + -ly.

This word in other languages

précairement(Français)unsicher(Deutsch)

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 "precariously"?
"precariously" is spelled P-R-E-C-A-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y.
What does "precariously" mean?
As an adverb, "precariously" means: In a precarious manner; dangerously.
What is the origin of the word "precariously"?
From precarious + -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 "precariously", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prepositions#50,737psychotropic#50,749quantization#50,753rhetorically#50,771

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list