swimmingly

/ˈswɪmɪŋli/

//ˈswɪmɪŋli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“swimmingly” is uncommon English (frequency #63,289 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,289
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With a gliding motion suggesting swimming.

Corpus desk

Index EN-swimmingly · swimmingly · English

swimmingly · rank #63,289 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,289
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH superhighway

Nearest frequency peer: superhighway (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “swimmingly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “swimmingly” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for swimmingly
PropertyValue
Headwordswimmingly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈswɪmɪŋli/
Letters10
Frequency rank#63,289
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “swimmingly” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “superhighway” (#63,288), “sunfish” (#63,287), “submariner” (#63,286). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “swimmingly” is #63,289. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

swimmingly is uncommon English at frequency #63,289 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈswɪmɪŋli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

swimmingly has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From swimming (“(adj.) moving in water as an ordinary means of motion; without difficulty”) + -ly (suffix forming adverbs from adjectives). The correct English form is swimmingly, spelled S-W-I-M-M-I-N-G-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    With a gliding motion suggesting swimming.
  2. 2
    In a very favorable manner; without difficulty; agreeably, successfully.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Bear your Hips ſwimmingly, tholl loll, loll, / Keep your Eyes languiſhing, tholl loll, loll, […]
  2. By the angels who tear forth the ſouls of ſome with violence; and by thoſe who draw forth the ſouls of others with gentleneſs; by thoſe who glide ſwimmingly through the air with the commands of God; […]: on a certain day, the diſturbing blaſt of the trumpet ſhall diſturb the univerſe; and the ſubſequent blaſt ſhall follow it.

Etymology

From swimming (“(adj.) moving in water as an ordinary means of motion; without difficulty”) + -ly (suffix forming adverbs from adjectives).

This word in other languages

de maravilla(Español)comme sur des roulettes(Français)fließend(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 "swimmingly"?
"swimmingly" is spelled S-W-I-M-M-I-N-G-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈswɪmɪŋli/.
What does "swimmingly" mean?
As an adverb, "swimmingly" means: With a gliding motion suggesting swimming.
How do you pronounce "swimmingly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swimmingly" is /ˈswɪmɪŋli/. 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 "swimmingly"?
From swimming (“(adj.) moving in water as an ordinary means of motion; without difficulty”) + -ly (suffix forming adverbs from adjectives). 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 "swimmingly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

submariner#63,286studiously#63,284streetwise#63,282undervalue#63,338

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list