singly
/ˈsɪŋ.ɡli/
"singly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“singly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,448 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #40,448
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In a single or unaccompanied manner; without a companion.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | singly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈsɪŋ.ɡli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #40,448 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “singly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for singly is 6 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪŋ.ɡli/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,448 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for singly, with forms such as "isngly", "signly", and "singgly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "sings", "stingy", "sing", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English senglely. Equivalent to single + -ly. The correct English form is singly, spelled S-I-N-G-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a single or unaccompanied manner; without a companion.
- 2Individually; particularly; severally.
- 3Without partners, companions, or associates; single-handed.
- 4Honestly; sincerely; simply.
- 5Singularly; peculiarly.
Etymology
From Middle English senglely. Equivalent to single + -ly.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: isngly,signly,singgly,singlly,singlyy,singyl,sinlgy,sinngly,snigly,ssingly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of singly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “singly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-N-G-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪŋ.ɡli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “sings” - see the side-by-side comparison. singly vs sings
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.