terrifically

adv

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

"terrifically" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“terrifically” is uncommon English (frequency #73,707 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,707
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a terrific or extreme way.

Corpus desk

Index EN-terrifically · terrifically · English

terrifically · rank #73,707 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,707
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH terroristic

Nearest frequency peer: terroristic (+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 “terrifically”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for terrifically
PropertyValue
Headwordterrifically
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters12
Frequency rank#73,707
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “terrifically” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).terrificallyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “terroristic” (#73,708), “testbed” (#73,709), “televise” (#73,703). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “terrifically” is #73,707. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

terrifically is uncommon English at frequency #73,707 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a terrific or extreme way.".

No misspelling variants are generated for terrifically in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From terrific + -ally. The correct English form is terrifically, spelled T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a terrific or extreme way.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "The test was terrifically hard," said the tired student.
  2. Upon examination it was found that a large breakage had been made, directly under their bows, and the sea was rushing in terrifically.

Etymology

From terrific + -ally.

This word in other languages

formidablement(Français)

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 "terrifically"?
"terrifically" is spelled T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C-A-L-L-Y.
What does "terrifically" mean?
As an adverb, "terrifically" means: In a terrific or extreme way.
What is the origin of the word "terrifically"?
From terrific + -ally. 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 "terrifically", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

subarachnoid#73,669strategizing#73,664unfavourably#73,758biosynthetic#73,906

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list