secondarily

/ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli/

//ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli// adv

"secondarily" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“secondarily” is uncommon English (frequency #59,697 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,697
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a secondary manner or degree.

Corpus desk

Index EN-secondarily · secondarily · English

secondarily · rank #59,697 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,697
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH seawall

Nearest frequency peer: seawall (-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 “secondarily”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for secondarily
PropertyValue
Headwordsecondarily
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli/
Letters11
Frequency rank#59,697
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “secondarily” 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).secondarilyfalls 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: “seawall” (#59,696), “Shani” (#59,698), “shapeshifter” (#59,699). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “secondarily” is #59,697. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

secondarily is uncommon English at frequency #59,697 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for secondarily in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English secundarili. By surface analysis, secondar(i) + -ly. The correct English form is secondarily, spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-A-R-I-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a secondary manner or degree.
  2. 2
    In a secondary manner or degree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Primarily, this will cause deaths; secondarily, it will also cost a lot of money.
  2. And God hath ſet ſome in the Church, firſt Apoſtles, ſecondarily Pꝛophets, thirdly Teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helpes in gouernmẽts, diuerſities of tongues.

Etymology

From Middle English secundarili. By surface analysis, secondar(i) + -ly.

This word in other languages

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 "secondarily"?
"secondarily" is spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-A-R-I-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli/.
What does "secondarily" mean?
As an adverb, "secondarily" means: In a secondary manner or degree.
How do you pronounce "secondarily"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "secondarily" is /ˌsɛkənˈdɛɹəli/. 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 "secondarily"?
From Middle English secundarili. By surface analysis, secondar(i) + -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 "secondarily", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list