throughly

/ˈθɹuːli/

//ˈθɹuːli// adv

"throughly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“throughly” is uncommon English (frequency #78,198 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,198
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Thoroughly, completely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-throughly · throughly · English

throughly · rank #78,198 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,198
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH thuggery

Nearest frequency peer: thuggery (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “throughly”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “throughly” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for throughly
PropertyValue
Headwordthroughly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈθɹuːli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,198
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “throughly” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

throughly is uncommon English at frequency #78,198 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈθɹuːli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Thoroughly, completely.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for throughly, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From through + -ly. The correct English form is throughly, spelled T-H-R-O-U-G-H-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Thoroughly, completely.

Etymology

From through + -ly.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "throughly"?
"throughly" is spelled T-H-R-O-U-G-H-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɹuːli/.
What does "throughly" mean?
As an adverb, "throughly" means: Thoroughly, completely.
How do you pronounce "throughly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "throughly" is /ˈθɹuːli/. 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 "throughly"?
From through + -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 "throughly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list