smoothly

/ˈsmuːðli/

//ˈsmuːðli// adv

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

"smoothly" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“smoothly” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,609. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,609
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in a smooth manner; smooth

Corpus desk

Index EN-smoothly · smoothly · English

smoothly · rank #11,609 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,609
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sleepy

Nearest frequency peer: sleepy (-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 “smoothly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smoothly” 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).

smoothly vs smooth
75% similar
smoothly vs smoothie
75% similar

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

Key facts for smoothly
PropertyValue
Headwordsmoothly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈsmuːðli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,609
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smoothly”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).smoothlylands 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 “sleepy” (#11,608), “speeding” (#11,610), “skype” (#11,607). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smoothly” is #11,609. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around smoothly (IPA /ˈsmuːðli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #11,609 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "in a smooth manner; smooth".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for smoothly, with forms such as "msoothly", "smmoothly", and "smoohtly". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "smooth", "smoothie", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English smoþely; equivalent to smooth + -ly. The correct English form is smoothly, spelled S-M-O-O-T-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    in a smooth manner; smooth

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. talk smoothly
  2. The plans didn't go/run as smoothly as we'd hoped.

Etymology

From Middle English smoþely; equivalent to smooth + -ly.

This word in other languages

suavemente(Español)souplement(Français)glatt(Deutsch)suavemente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • msoothly
  • smmoothly
  • smoohtly
  • smoothhly
  • smoothlly
  • smoothlyy
  • smoothyl
  • smootlhy
  • smootthly
  • smothly
  • smotohly
  • somothly
  • ssmoothly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

msoothly2smmoothly1smoohtly2smoothhly1smoothlly1smoothlyy1smoothyl2smootlhy2
Edit distance from "smoothly"

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 "smoothly"?
"smoothly" is spelled S-M-O-O-T-H-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmuːðli/.
What does "smoothly" mean?
As an adverb, "smoothly" means: in a smooth manner; smooth
What words are commonly confused with "smoothly"?
"smoothly" is commonly confused with "smooth", "smoothie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "smoothly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smoothly" is /ˈsmuːðli/. 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 "smoothly"?
From Middle English smoþely; equivalent to smooth + -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 "smoothly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

speeding#11,610sidewalk#11,605stirring#11,614rigorous#11,597

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

reinforce13 variantsrehearsal13 variantsperimeter13 variantsblankets13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list