supposedly
/səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/
"supposedly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“supposedly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,619 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #7,619
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | supposedly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #7,619 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “supposedly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for supposedly is 10 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,619 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for supposedly, with forms such as "spuposedly", "ssupposedly", and "supopsedly". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "supposed", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From supposed + -ly. The correct English form is supposedly, spelled S-U-P-P-O-S-E-D-L-Y.
Definition
- 1As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
- 2Used in place of "supposed to be," often in informal or colloquial speech, as a mispronunciation.
Etymology
From supposed + -ly.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: spuposedly,ssupposedly,supopsedly,suposedly,suppoesdly,supposdely,supposeddly,supposedlly,supposedlyy,supposedyl,supposeldy,suppossedly,suppsoedly,uspposedly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of supposedly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "supposedly"?
What does "supposedly" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "supposedly"?
How do you pronounce "supposedly"?
What is the origin of the word "supposedly"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “supposedly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-P-P-O-S-E-D-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “supposed” - see the side-by-side comparison. supposedly vs supposed
- 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.