rightly
right·ly/ˈɹaɪtli/adverb
rightly is spelled R-I-G-H-T-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables (right·ly). It appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, rightly means “In a right manner; correctly, justifiably” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rightly?
| Letters | 7: R-I-G-H-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: right·ly |
| In writing | 5.4 times per million words; the 10,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is rightly?
Rightly appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce rightly?
- US /ˈɹaɪtli/
Rightly has 2 syllables, split right·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rightly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rightly?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rightly from its last stressed vowel (/aɪtli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of rightly
- rightlier comparative
- more rightly comparative
- rightliest superlative
- most rightly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rightly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a right manner; correctly, justifiably.
She was quite rightly disappointed in not being promoted.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does rightly come from?
From Middle English ryȝtly, rihtliche, from Old English rihtlīċe, from Proto-West Germanic *rehtalīkā, *rehtalīkō, from Proto-Germanic *rehtalīkê, *rehtalīkô (“rightly”), equivalent to right + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian rjochtlik, Dutch rechtelijk, German rechtlich, Swedish rätteligen, Icelandic réttilega.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).