# solely

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈsəʊl.li/ · frequency rank #5,164

## Definitions
1. Alone; exclusively.

## Etymology
From Middle English soly, sooly, soolly, equivalent to sole + -ly.

## Easily confused with
- **sully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-sully)
- **surely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-surely)
- **solemn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-solemn)
- **sorely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-sorely)
- **steely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-steely)
- **solidly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-solidly)
- **solemnly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/solely-vs-solemnly)
- **sole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sole-vs-solely)
- **silly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silly-vs-solely)
- **sally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sally-vs-solely)
- **safely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/safely-vs-solely)
- **softly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/softly-vs-solely)
- **soleil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soleil-vs-solely)

## Common misspellings (9)
`oslely`, `sloely`, `soelly`, `solelly`, `solelyy`, `soleyl`, `sollely`, `solley`, `ssolely`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/solely