timely
/ˈtaɪmli/
"timely" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“timely” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,996. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #8,996
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Done at the proper time or within the proper time limits; prompt.
Corpus desk
Index EN-timely · timely · English
timely · rank #8,996 · 9 variants · 6 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #8,996
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH ti
Nearest frequency peer: ti (-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 “timely”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- therapeutic
therapeutic
91,008 corpus weight
- threads
threads
91,007 corpus weight
- ti
ti
91,006 corpus weight
- timely
timely
91,005 corpus weight
- tomato
tomato
91,004 corpus weight
- tub
tub
91,003 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “timely” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | timely |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈtaɪmli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #8,996 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “timely” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around timely (IPA /ˈtaɪmli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,996 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for timely, with forms such as "itmely", "tiemly", and "timelly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "times", "timer", "Timmy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English timely, tymely, timliche, from Old English *tīmlīc (adjective) and tīmlīċe (“in good time; timely; soon”, adverb), equivalent to time + -ly. Cognate with Danish timelig, Swedish timlig, Icelandic tímalegur, tímanlegur. The correct English form is timely, spelled T-I-M-E-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Done at the proper time or within the proper time limits; prompt.
- 2Happening or appearing at the proper time.
- 3Keeping time or measure.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how timely appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If the whistleblower submitted a timely response, pursuant to Step 9, the Claims Review Staff will consider the issues, along with any supporting documentation, and make its Proposed Final Determination.
[…] and the timely dew of sleep, / Now falling with soft slumbrous weight, inclines / Our eye-lids […]
Etymology
From Middle English timely, tymely, timliche, from Old English *tīmlīc (adjective) and tīmlīċe (“in good time; timely; soon”, adverb), equivalent to time + -ly. Cognate with Danish timelig, Swedish timlig, Icelandic tímalegur, tímanlegur.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- itmely
- tiemly
- timelly
- timelyy
- timeyl
- timley
- timmely
- tmiely
- ttimely
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of timely - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "timely", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
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.