roughly

/ˈɹʌf.li/

//ˈɹʌf.li// adv

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

"roughly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“roughly” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,905. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,905
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-roughly · roughly · English

roughly · rank #3,905 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,905
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH residence

Nearest frequency peer: residence (-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 “roughly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “roughly” 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).

roughly vs roundly
71% similar
roughly vs rough
71% similar

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

Key facts for roughly
PropertyValue
Headwordroughly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈɹʌf.li/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,905
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “roughly”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “residence” (#3,904), “salary” (#3,906), “representing” (#3,903). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “roughly” is #3,905. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around roughly (IPA /ˈɹʌf.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,905 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for roughly, with forms such as "orughly", "roguhly", and "rougghly". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "roundly", "rough", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From rough + -ly. The correct English form is roughly, spelled R-O-U-G-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness.
  2. 2
    Unevenly or irregularly.
  3. 3
    Without precision or exactness; imprecisely but close to in quantity or amount; approximately.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They treated the prisoners roughly [...] slashing pitilessly with their whips to drive them as wretched animals before them.
  2. Satanism can be divided, roughly, into two branches: the Luciferians and the Palladists.

Etymology

From rough + -ly.

This word in other languages

aproximadamente(Español)rudement(Français)grob(Deutsch)aproximadamente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • orughly
  • roguhly
  • rougghly
  • roughhly
  • roughlly
  • roughlyy
  • roughyl
  • rouglhy
  • rouhgly
  • rroughly
  • ruoghly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

orughly2roguhly2rougghly1roughhly1roughlly1roughlyy1roughyl2rouglhy2
Edit distance from "roughly"

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 "roughly"?
"roughly" is spelled R-O-U-G-H-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹʌf.li/.
What does "roughly" mean?
As an adverb, "roughly" means: In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness.
What words are commonly confused with "roughly"?
"roughly" is commonly confused with "roundly", "rough". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "roughly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roughly" is /ˈɹʌf.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 "roughly"?
From rough + -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 "roughly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scoring#3,907profits#3,900privacy#3,898banking#3,926

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

would've11 variantsheritage11 variantsconsent11 variantsgorgeous11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list