scrupulously

/ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli/

//ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“scrupulously” is uncommon English (frequency #54,466 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,466
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a careful manner, with scruple; done with careful attention to detail.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scrupulously · scrupulously · English

scrupulously · rank #54,466 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,466
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SDLP

Nearest frequency peer: SDLP (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “scrupulously”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “scrupulously” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for scrupulously
PropertyValue
Headwordscrupulously
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli/
Letters12
Frequency rank#54,466
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scrupulously” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).scrupulouslyfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “SDLP” (#54,467), “seaward” (#54,468), “Scholl” (#54,463). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scrupulously” is #54,466. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scrupulously is uncommon English at frequency #54,466 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a careful manner, with scruple; done with careful attention to detail.".

No misspelling variants are generated for scrupulously in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From scrupulous + -ly, from Middle French scrupuleux, from Latin scrūpulōsus (“careful, scrupulous”), from scrūpulus (“anxiety, uneasiness”), diminutive from scrūpus (“sharp stone; anxiety”) + -ulus. The correct English form is scrupulously, spelled S-C-R-U-P-U-L-O-U-S-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a careful manner, with scruple; done with careful attention to detail.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They were frightened when he threatened this, and promised to obey him scrupulously if he would but promise not to desert them.
  2. Stock is generally well maintained, and the locomotives and railcars are kept scrupulously clean. The former are painted an unrelieved black, and the latter blue and cream, while the coaches are grey.

Etymology

From scrupulous + -ly, from Middle French scrupuleux, from Latin scrūpulōsus (“careful, scrupulous”), from scrūpulus (“anxiety, uneasiness”), diminutive from scrūpus (“sharp stone; anxiety”) + -ulus.

Synonyms

carefullyconscientiouslymeticulously

This word in other languages

escrupulosamente(Español)scrupuleusement(Français)

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 "scrupulously"?
"scrupulously" is spelled S-C-R-U-P-U-L-O-U-S-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli/.
What does "scrupulously" mean?
As an adverb, "scrupulously" means: In a careful manner, with scruple; done with careful attention to detail.
How do you pronounce "scrupulously"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scrupulously" is /ˈskɹuːpjʊləsli/. 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 "scrupulously"?
From scrupulous + -ly, from Middle French scrupuleux, from Latin scrūpulōsus (“careful, scrupulous”), from scrūpulus (“anxiety, uneasiness”), diminutive from scrūpus (“sharp stone; anxiety”) + -ulus. 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 "scrupulously", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

romanticized#54,445stenographer#54,507pretreatment#54,407tetracycline#54,529

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list