tentatively
/ˈtɛntətɪvli/adverb
tentatively is spelled T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, tentatively means “In a tentative manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tentatively?
| Letters | 11: T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 24,170th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tentatively?
Tentatively appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tentatively?
- /ˈtɛntətɪvli/
Tentatively has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tentatively.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tentatively?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tentatively.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: attentively.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tentatively
- more tentatively comparative
- most tentatively superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tentatively mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a tentative manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tentatively in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of, or having to do with being tentative:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | expérimentalement |
| German | versuchsweise, vorläufig |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tentatively come from?
From tentative + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).