# starkly

> English word · Adverb · frequency rank #49,650

## Definitions
1. In a stark manner; with great contrast.

## Etymology
From Middle English starkli, starcliche, sterkliche, stercliche, from Old English stearclīċe (“strongly; stoutly; vigorously; vehemently; fiercely; strictly”), from Proto-Germanic *starkulīka (“strongly; stiffly”), from *starkulīkaz (“strong; rigid”), from *starkuz (“strong; stiff; stark”), equivalent to stark + -ly.

## Easily confused with
- **starry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/starkly-vs-starry)
- **stately** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/starkly-vs-stately)
- **startle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/starkly-vs-startle)
- **sternly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/starkly-vs-sternly)
- **stark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stark-vs-starkly)
- **Sparky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sparky-vs-starkly)
- **snarky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-starkly)
- **sharply** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sharply-vs-starkly)
- **sparkle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sparkle-vs-starkly)
- **sparkly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sparkly-vs-starkly)
- **smartly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smartly-vs-starkly)
- **Sharkey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sharkey-vs-starkly)
- **starchy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/starchy-vs-starkly)

## Common misspellings (12)
`satrkly`, `sstarkly`, `stakrly`, `starkkly`, `starklly`, `starklyy`, `starkyl`, `starlky`, `starrkly`, `strakly`, `sttarkly`, `tsarkly`

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