rapidly

/ˈɹæpɪdli/

//ˈɹæpɪdli// adv

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

"rapidly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rapidly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,042. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,042
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With speed; in a rapid manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rapidly · rapidly · English

rapidly · rank #4,042 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,042
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rally

Nearest frequency peer: rally (-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 “rapidly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rapidly” 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).

rapidly vs rigidly
71% similar
rapidly vs rapid
71% similar

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

Key facts for rapidly
PropertyValue
Headwordrapidly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈɹæpɪdli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,042
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rapidly”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).rapidlylands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “rally” (#4,041), “reader” (#4,043), “punishment” (#4,040). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rapidly” is #4,042. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around rapidly (IPA /ˈɹæpɪdli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #4,042 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "With speed; in a rapid manner.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for rapidly, with forms such as "arpidly", "raipdly", and "rapdily". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "rigidly", "rapid", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From rapid + -ly. The correct English form is rapidly, spelled R-A-P-I-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    With speed; in a rapid manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She packed her case rapidly and hurried out.
  2. We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.

Etymology

From rapid + -ly.

Synonyms

quicklyspeedily

This word in other languages

rápidamente(Español)rapidement(Français)schnell(Deutsch)rapidamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arpidly
  • raipdly
  • rapdily
  • rapiddly
  • rapidlly
  • rapidlyy
  • rapidyl
  • rapildy
  • rappidly
  • rpaidly
  • rrapidly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rapidly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

arpidly2raipdly2rapdily2rapiddly1rapidlly1rapidlyy1rapidyl2rapildy2
Edit distance from "rapidly"

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 "rapidly"?
"rapidly" is spelled R-A-P-I-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæpɪdli/.
What does "rapidly" mean?
As an adverb, "rapidly" means: With speed; in a rapid manner.
What words are commonly confused with "rapidly"?
"rapidly" is commonly confused with "rigidly", "rapid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rapidly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rapidly" is /ˈɹæpɪdli/. 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 "rapidly"?
From rapid + -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 "rapidly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

liberty#4,029instant#4,024glasses#4,021genetic#4,020

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

crossing11 variantsdensity11 variantsdropping11 variantsabsence11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list