priestly
/ˈpɹiːstli/adjective
priestly is spelled P-R-I-E-S-T-L-Y: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, priestly means “Of or relating to priests” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in priestly?
| Letters | 8: P-R-I-E-S-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is priestly?
Priestly appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 priestly?
- /ˈpɹiːstli/
Priestly has 2 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-priestly.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Qwertygiy-priestly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with priestly?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as priestly.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: spritely.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of priestly
- more priestly comparative
- priestlier comparative
- most priestly superlative
- priestliest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does priestly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to priests.
- 2
Having the appearance of or resembling a priest.
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to the Priestly source (“P”), one of the sources of the Torah or Pentateuch according to the documentary hypothesis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Priestly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or relating to priests:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | priesterlich |
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 priestly come from?
From Middle English prestly; equivalent to priest + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).