regrettably

adv

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

"regrettably" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“regrettably” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,818. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,818
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a manner inspiring or deserving regret.

Corpus desk

Index EN-regrettably · regrettably · English

regrettably · rank #33,818 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #33,818
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH refractory

Nearest frequency peer: refractory (-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 “regrettably”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “regrettably” 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).

regrettably vs regrettable
91% similar

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

Key facts for regrettably
PropertyValue
Headwordregrettably
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters11
Frequency rank#33,818
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “regrettably”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).regrettablylands 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 “refractory” (#33,817), “Reiner” (#33,819), “refractive” (#33,816). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “regrettably” is #33,818. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around regrettably, anadverb. Corpus frequency is #33,818 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In a manner inspiring or deserving regret.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for regrettably, with forms such as "ergrettably", "regerttably", and "reggrettably". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "regrettable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From regrettable + -ly. The correct English form is regrettably, spelled R-E-G-R-E-T-T-A-B-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a manner inspiring or deserving regret.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Your exam results are regrettably poor: you should regretfully reflect on all the time wasted reading comics.

Etymology

From regrettable + -ly.

This word in other languages

lamentablemente(Español)bedauerlicherweise(Deutsch)lamentavelmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ergrettably
  • regerttably
  • reggrettably
  • regretably
  • regretatbly
  • regrettabbly
  • regrettablly
  • regrettablyy
  • regrettabyl
  • regrettalby
  • regrettbaly
  • regrrettably
  • regrtetably
  • rergettably
  • rgerettably
  • rregrettably

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of regrettably - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ergrettably2regerttably2reggrettably1regretably1regretatbly2regrettabbly1regrettablly1regrettablyy1
Edit distance from "regrettably"

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 "regrettably"?
"regrettably" is spelled R-E-G-R-E-T-T-A-B-L-Y.
What does "regrettably" mean?
As an adverb, "regrettably" means: In a manner inspiring or deserving regret.
What words are commonly confused with "regrettably"?
"regrettably" is commonly confused with "regrettable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "regrettably"?
From regrettable + -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 "regrettably", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paradoxical#33,779opinionated#33,771Kirkpatrick#33,703intractable#33,689

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

refractory16 variantsrebranding16 variantsretraction16 variantsTwickenham16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list