purposely

/ˈpɝpəsli/

//ˈpɝpəsli// adv

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

"purposely" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“purposely” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,316. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,316
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - On purpose; intentionally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-purposely · purposely · English

purposely · rank #16,316 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,316
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH PU

Nearest frequency peer: PU (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “purposely”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “purposely” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

purposely vs purposes
78% similar
purposely vs purpose
78% similar
purposely vs purposed
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for purposely
PropertyValue
Headwordpurposely
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈpɝpəsli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,316
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “purposely”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “PU” (#16,315), “qc” (#16,317), “provocative” (#16,314). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “purposely” is #16,316. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around purposely (IPA /ˈpɝpəsli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #16,316 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "On purpose; intentionally.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for purposely, with forms such as "ppurposely", "pruposely", and "puprosely". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "purposes", "purpose", "purposed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English purposly; equivalent to purpose + -ly. The correct English form is purposely, spelled P-U-R-P-O-S-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    On purpose; intentionally.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [T]hey would ſay [...] that I had quarrell'd / My brother purpoſely, thereby to finde / An apt pretext, to baniſh them my houſe.

Etymology

From Middle English purposly; equivalent to purpose + -ly.

This word in other languages

intencionadamente(Español)exprès(Français)absichtlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ppurposely
  • pruposely
  • puprosely
  • puropsely
  • purpoesly
  • purposelly
  • purposelyy
  • purposeyl
  • purposley
  • purpossely
  • purpposely
  • purpsoely
  • purrposely
  • uprposely

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of purposely - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ppurposely1pruposely2puprosely2puropsely2purpoesly2purposelly1purposelyy1purposeyl2
Edit distance from "purposely"

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 "purposely"?
"purposely" is spelled P-U-R-P-O-S-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɝpəsli/.
What does "purposely" mean?
As an adverb, "purposely" means: On purpose; intentionally.
What words are commonly confused with "purposely"?
"purposely" is commonly confused with "purposes", "purpose", "purposed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "purposely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "purposely" is /ˈpɝpəsli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "purposely"?
From Middle English purposly; equivalent to purpose + -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 "purposely", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

precursor#16,308repayment#16,325paralyzed#16,294sectional#16,343

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

powerhouse14 variantsservicing14 variantsoccupations14 variantsNicholson14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list