respectfully

/ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/

//ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li// adv

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

"respectfully" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“respectfully” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,691. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,691
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In a respectful manner.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

respectfully vs respectful
83% similar

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

Key facts for respectfully
PropertyValue
Headwordrespectfully
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/
Letters12
Frequency rank#15,691
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “respectfully” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around respectfully (IPA /ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #15,691 among 21,470 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In a respectful manner.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for respectfully, with forms such as "erspectfully", "repsectfully", and "resepctfully". 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, "respectful", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From respectful + -ly. The correct English form is respectfully, spelled R-E-S-P-E-C-T-F-U-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a respectful manner.

Etymology

From respectful + -ly.

This word in other languages

respetuosamente(Español)respectueusement(Français)respektvoll(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erspectfully
  • repsectfully
  • resepctfully
  • respcetfully
  • respecctfully
  • respecftully
  • respectffully
  • respectfluly
  • respectfullyy
  • respectfuly
  • respectfulyl
  • respecttfully
  • respectuflly
  • respetcfully
  • resppectfully
  • resspectfully
  • rrespectfully
  • rsepectfully

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of respectfully - 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.

erspectfully2repsectfully2resepctfully2respcetfully2respecctfully1respecftully2respectffully1respectfluly2
Edit distance from "respectfully"

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 "respectfully"?
"respectfully" is spelled R-E-S-P-E-C-T-F-U-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/.
What does "respectfully" mean?
As an adverb, "respectfully" means: In a respectful manner.
What words are commonly confused with "respectfully"?
"respectfully" is commonly confused with "respectful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "respectfully"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "respectfully" is /ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/. 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 "respectfully"?
From respectful + -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.

Using “respectfully”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-P-E-C-T-F-U-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈspɛkt.fə.li/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “respectful” - see the side-by-side comparison. respectfully vs respectful
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list