reply

/ɹɪˈplaɪ/

//ɹɪˈplaɪ// verb

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

"reply" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reply” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,020. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,020
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reply · reply · English

reply · rank #3,020 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,020
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH regulations

Nearest frequency peer: regulations (-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 “reply”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reply” 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).

reply vs Rey
40% similar
reply vs rly
60% similar
reply vs reps
60% similar

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

Key facts for reply
PropertyValue
Headwordreply
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈplaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,020
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reply”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).replylands 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 “regulations” (#3,019), “recommended” (#3,018), “rid” (#3,022). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reply” is #3,020. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around reply (IPA /ɹɪˈplaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,020 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for reply, with forms such as "erply", "relpy", and "replly". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Rey", "rly", "reps", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“I fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisat… The correct English form is reply, spelled R-E-P-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
  2. 2
    To act or gesture in response.
  3. 3
    To repeat something back; to echo.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. (intransitive) Please reply to my letter.
  2. (transitive) "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.

Etymology

From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“I fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

Synonyms

respondanswerretortanswer backreactrejoincounterreturnrevertfollow upget back to

This word in other languages

responder(Español)répondre(Français)antworten(Deutsch)responder(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erply
  • relpy
  • replly
  • replyy
  • repply
  • repyl
  • rpely
  • rreply

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erply2relpy2replly1replyy1repply1repyl2rpely2rreply1
Edit distance from "reply"

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 "reply"?
"reply" is spelled R-E-P-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈplaɪ/.
What does "reply" mean?
As a verb, "reply" means: To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
What words are commonly confused with "reply"?
"reply" is commonly confused with "Rey", "rly", "reps". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reply"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reply" is /ɹɪˈplaɪ/. 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 "reply"?
From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“I fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by n... 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 "reply", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

roman#3,023tower#3,031wheel#3,035inner#3,003

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

visual8 variantsbarely8 variantsgained8 variantsyards8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list