relatively
/ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv.li/
"relatively" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“relatively” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,228 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #2,228
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In a relative manner; with reference to environment or competition; contextually or comparatively.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | relatively |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv.li/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #2,228 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “relatively” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for relatively is 10 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv.li/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,228 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for relatively, with forms such as "erlatively", "realtively", and "relaitvely". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "relatives", "relativity", "relative", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From relative + -ly. The correct English form is relatively, spelled R-E-L-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a relative manner; with reference to environment or competition; contextually or comparatively.
- 2Somewhat; fairly.
Etymology
From relative + -ly.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erlatively,realtively,relaitvely,relatievly,relativelly,relativelyy,relativeyl,relativley,relativvely,relattively,relatviely,rellatively,reltaively,rleatively,rrelatively
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of relatively - 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.
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 "relatively"?
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Using “relatively”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-L-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv.li/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “relatives” - see the side-by-side comparison. relatively vs relatives
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.