tolerably

/ˈtɑləɹəbli/

//ˈtɑləɹəbli// adv

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

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

The verdict

“tolerably” is uncommon English (frequency #91,075 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,075
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tolerably · tolerably · English

tolerably · rank #91,075 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,075
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH TME

Nearest frequency peer: TME (-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 “tolerably”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tolerably
PropertyValue
Headwordtolerably
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈtɑləɹəbli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#91,075
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tolerably” 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).tolerablyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “TME” (#91,074), “torta” (#91,076), “townsite” (#91,077). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tolerably” is #91,075. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tolerably is uncommon English at frequency #91,075 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈtɑləɹəbli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tolerably, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tolerable + -ly. The correct English form is tolerably, spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-B-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.
  2. 2
    Reasonably; acceptably; somewhat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I don't like the music, but it's tolerably quiet.
  2. With a small knife or larding pin, cut holes in the beef, to receive the bacon thus prepared; place the lardings tolerably thick and even; rub the beef over with the remainder of the seasoning […]

Etymology

From tolerable + -ly.

This word in other languages

tolérablement(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 "tolerably"?
"tolerably" is spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-B-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑləɹəbli/.
What does "tolerably" mean?
As an adverb, "tolerably" means: In a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.
How do you pronounce "tolerably"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tolerably" is /ˈtɑləɹəbli/. 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 "tolerably"?
From tolerable + -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 "tolerably", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

thyroxine#91,069Thomaston#91,067trilobite#91,085unexposed#91,108

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list