precipitously
/pɹɪˈsɪ.pɪ.təs.li/
"precipitously" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“precipitously” is uncommon English (frequency #60,389 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #60,389
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a precipitous manner.
Corpus desk
Index EN-precipitously · precipitously · English
precipitously · rank #60,389 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #60,389
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH preheated
Nearest frequency peer: preheated (+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 “precipitously”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- potpourri
potpourri
39,616 corpus weight
- prance
prance
39,614 corpus weight
- precipitous…
precipitously
39,612 corpus weight
- preheated
preheated
39,611 corpus weight
- pried
pried
39,609 corpus weight
- Prieto
Prieto
39,608 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “precipitously” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | precipitously |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /pɹɪˈsɪ.pɪ.təs.li/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #60,389 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “precipitously” in English
Rare enough to double-check
precipitously is uncommon English at frequency #60,389 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /pɹɪˈsɪ.pɪ.təs.li/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for precipitously in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From precipitous + -ly. The correct English form is precipitously, spelled P-R-E-C-I-P-I-T-O-U-S-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a precipitous manner.
- 2In a precipitous manner.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how precipitously appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Population dropped to the lowest point in five millennia. State resources declined precipitously. In many strategic and formerly prosperous areas, there were tax revenue losses of 90 percent or more in less than a single lifetime.
Never will I visit it again; it is a place of evil omen.' After a very brief halt for breakfast we pressed on with such good will that by two o'clock in the afternoon we were at the foot of the vast wall of rock that formed the lip of the volcano, and which at this point towered up precipitously above us for fifteen hundred or two thousand feet.
Etymology
From precipitous + -ly.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "precipitously", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).