sharply

/ˈʃɑɹpli/

//ˈʃɑɹpli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“sharply” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,484. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,484
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a sharp manner, in various senses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sharply · sharply · English

sharply · rank #8,484 · 12 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,484
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH seated

Nearest frequency peer: seated (-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 “sharply”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sharply” 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).

sharply vs sharps
71% similar
sharply vs shortly
71% similar
sharply vs sparkly
71% similar

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

Key facts for sharply
PropertyValue
Headwordsharply
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈʃɑɹpli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,484
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sharply”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “seated” (#8,483), “SD” (#8,482), “sincerely” (#8,486). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sharply” is #8,484. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sharply (IPA /ˈʃɑɹpli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #8,484 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sharply, with forms such as "hsarply", "sahrply", and "shaprly". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "sharps", "shortly", "sparkly", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -ly. The correct English form is sharply, spelled S-H-A-R-P-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  2. 2
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  3. 3
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  4. 4
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  5. 5
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  6. 6
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  7. 7
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  8. 8
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  9. 9
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  10. 10
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  11. 11
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.
  12. 12
    In a sharp manner, in various senses.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The stick was sharply tapered at one end.
  2. When I touched the snake it recoiled sharply.

Etymology

From Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsarply
  • sahrply
  • shaprly
  • sharlpy
  • sharplly
  • sharplyy
  • sharpply
  • sharpyl
  • sharrply
  • shharply
  • shraply
  • ssharply

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsarply2sahrply2shaprly2sharlpy2sharplly1sharplyy1sharpply1sharpyl2
Edit distance from "sharply"

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 "sharply"?
"sharply" is spelled S-H-A-R-P-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɑɹpli/.
What does "sharply" mean?
As an adverb, "sharply" means: In a sharp manner, in various senses.
What words are commonly confused with "sharply"?
"sharply" is commonly confused with "sharps", "shortly", "sparkly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sharply"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sharply" is /ˈʃɑɹpli/. 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 "sharply"?
From Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -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 "sharply", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

resting#8,477recruit#8,476pursued#8,474touring#8,496

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

thirteen12 variantsObamaCare12 variantscommitting12 variantscredited12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list