presently
/ˈpɹɛzəntli/adverb
presently is spelled P-R-E-S-E-N-T-L-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, presently means “Before long; soon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in presently?
| Letters | 9: P-R-E-S-E-N-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 presently?
Presently appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 presently?
- UK /ˈpɹɛzəntli/
Presently 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-presently.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of presently
- more presently comparative
- most presently superlative
- præsently
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does presently mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
UKarchaicImmediately, at once; quickly.
the butler supposing the Wine had beene so carefully commended unto him for the goodnesse of it, imediately presented some unto the Pope, who whilest he was drinking, his sonne came in and never imagining his bottles had beene toucht, tooke
- 2
Before long; soon.
Presently all was quiet again.
- 3
proscribedrareAt present; now; currently.
To all of you, therefore, who call Wales your motherland, whether you presently inhabit some other portion of the globe or breathe the air of your cloud-kissed country […].
- 4
obsoleteWith actual presence; in actuality.
March 27 1545, Stephen Gardiner, letter to Thomas Smith and MAtthew PArker if they perceyve not presently, it shal be wel doon to bringe them to conformite
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Presently in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense before long, soon – see also before long, soon:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sogleich |
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 presently come from?
From Middle English presently; equivalent to present + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).