supposedly

/səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/

//səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li// adv

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

"supposedly" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“supposedly” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,619. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,619
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-supposedly · supposedly · English

supposedly · rank #7,619 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,619
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH superb

Nearest frequency peer: superb (-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 “supposedly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “supposedly” 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).

supposedly vs supposed
80% similar

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

Key facts for supposedly
PropertyValue
Headwordsupposedly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,619
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “supposedly”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “superb” (#7,618), “tab” (#7,620), “suburbs” (#7,617). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “supposedly” is #7,619. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around supposedly (IPA /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #7,619 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
  2. 2
    Used in place of "supposed to be," often in informal or colloquial speech, as a mispronunciation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: supposably, reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, allegedly, ostensibly, possibly, probably, likely, plausibly
  2. People from other planets have supposedly visited Earth in flying saucers.

Etymology

From supposed + -ly.

This word in other languages

supuestamente(Español)supposément(Français)angeblich(Deutsch)

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.

spuposedly2ssupposedly1supopsedly2suposedly1suppoesdly2supposdely2supposeddly1supposedlly1
Edit distance from "supposedly"

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"?
"supposedly" is spelled S-U-P-P-O-S-E-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/.
What does "supposedly" mean?
As an adverb, "supposedly" means: As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
What words are commonly confused with "supposedly"?
"supposedly" is commonly confused with "supposed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "supposedly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "supposedly" is /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/. 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 "supposedly"?
From supposed + -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 "supposedly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

revelation#7,604prediction#7,595compassion#7,664correction#7,667

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

touchdown14 variantspackaging14 variantsdetention14 variantsFrederick14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list