sprightly

/ˈspɹaɪtli/

//ˈspɹaɪtli// adj

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

"sprightly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sprightly” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,868 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#53,868
frequency rank, English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.

Key facts for sprightly
PropertyValue
Headwordsprightly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈspɹaɪtli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#53,868
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sprightly” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sprightly is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈspɹaɪtli/. Corpus data places it at rank #53,868 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

sprightly has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From spright + -ly (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘behaving like, having the nature of’). Spright is an obsolete variant of sprite (“a shade, spirit; elf, fairy, goblin; apparition, ghost”), from Middle English sprit (“principle of life; soul, es… The correct English form is sprightly, spelled S-P-R-I-G-H-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.
  2. 2
    Of a person: full of life and vigour, especially with a light and springy step.
  3. 3
    Of a person: full of life and vigour, especially with a light and springy step.
  4. 4
    Of or relating to a sprite; ghostly, spectral.

Etymology

From spright + -ly (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘behaving like, having the nature of’). Spright is an obsolete variant of sprite (“a shade, spirit; elf, fairy, goblin; apparition, ghost”), from Middle English sprit (“principle of life; soul, especially at the point of death; immaterial being (angel, demon, apparition, ghost, etc.); divine inspiration; Holy Spirit; the mind, intellect, reason; mental faculties, senses; power of prophecy; character, disposition; courage, resolution; mood, state of mind; human will; breath; (alchemy) volatile substance”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman esprite, esprit and Middle French esprit, variants of Anglo-Norman, Middle French, Old French espirit, esperit (“spirit”), from Latin spīritus (“air; breath; breathing; ghost, spirit”), from spīrō (“to breathe; to breathe out, exhale”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow; to breathe”)) + -tus (“suffix forming verbal nouns from verbs”).

This word in other languages

vigoroso(Español)animé(Français)spritzig(Deutsch)

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 "sprightly"?
"sprightly" is spelled S-P-R-I-G-H-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɹaɪtli/.
What does "sprightly" mean?
As an adjective, "sprightly" means: Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.
How do you pronounce "sprightly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sprightly" is /ˈspɹaɪtli/. 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 "sprightly"?
From spright + -ly (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘behaving like, having the nature of’). Spright is an obsolete variant of sprite (“a shade, spirit; elf, fairy, goblin; apparition, ghost”), from Middle English sprit (“principle of life... 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.

Using “sprightly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-R-I-G-H-T-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈspɹaɪtli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list