slowly

/ˈsləʊli/

//ˈsləʊli// adv

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

"slowly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slowly” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,368. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,368
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At a slow pace.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slowly · slowly · English

slowly · rank #2,368 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,368
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shots

Nearest frequency peer: shots (-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 “slowly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slowly” 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).

slowly vs snowy
67% similar
slowly vs slows
67% similar
slowly vs slow
67% similar

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

Key facts for slowly
PropertyValue
Headwordslowly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈsləʊli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,368
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slowly”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).slowlylands 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 “shots” (#2,367), “stadium” (#2,369), “shirt” (#2,366). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slowly” is #2,368. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around slowly (IPA /ˈsləʊli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #2,368 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "At a slow pace.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for slowly, with forms such as "lsowly", "sllowly", and "slolwy". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "snowy", "slows", "slow", 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 slowly, slowli, slouli, slowliche, from Old English slāwlīċe (“slowly; sluggishly”), equivalent to slow + -ly. Compare Old Norse slæliga, sljóliga. The correct English form is slowly, spelled S-L-O-W-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    At a slow pace.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
  2. When bond yields rise slowly over time, it’s not a problem for pensions deploying LDI strategies, and actually helps their finances.

Etymology

From Middle English slowly, slowli, slouli, slowliche, from Old English slāwlīċe (“slowly; sluggishly”), equivalent to slow + -ly. Compare Old Norse slæliga, sljóliga.

Synonyms

ponderouslysluggishlywith leaden wingsgraduallylitherlyslowlytardily

Antonyms

quicklyrapidly

This word in other languages

lentamente(Español)lentement(Français)langsam(Deutsch)devagar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsowly
  • sllowly
  • slolwy
  • slowlly
  • slowlyy
  • slowwly
  • slowyl
  • slwoly
  • solwly
  • sslowly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsowly2sllowly1slolwy2slowlly1slowlyy1slowwly1slowyl2slwoly2
Edit distance from "slowly"

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 "slowly"?
"slowly" is spelled S-L-O-W-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsləʊli/.
What does "slowly" mean?
As an adverb, "slowly" means: At a slow pace.
What words are commonly confused with "slowly"?
"slowly" is commonly confused with "snowy", "slows", "slow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slowly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slowly" is /ˈsləʊli/. 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 "slowly"?
From Middle English slowly, slowli, slouli, slowliche, from Old English slāwlīċe (“slowly; sluggishly”), equivalent to slow + -ly. Compare Old Norse slæliga, sljóliga. 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 "slowly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stores#2,370scored#2,365vision#2,374begins#2,380

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

stadium10 variantsTuesday10 variantsnoticed10 variantsallowing10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list