ultimately

/ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ/

//ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ// adv

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

"ultimately" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ultimately” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,651. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,651
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Indicating the last item.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ultimately · ultimately · English

ultimately · rank #2,651 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,651
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH transportation

Nearest frequency peer: transportation (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ultimately”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ultimately” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ultimately vs ultimate
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ultimately
PropertyValue
Headwordultimately
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,651
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ultimately”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ultimatelylands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “transportation” (#2,650), “unlike” (#2,652), “tight” (#2,649). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “ultimately” is #2,651. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around ultimately (IPA /ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #2,651 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for ultimately, with forms such as "lutimately", "ulitmately", and "ulltimately". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "ultimate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ultimate + -ly. The correct English form is ultimately, spelled U-L-T-I-M-A-T-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Indicating the last item.
  2. 2
    Indicating the most important action.
  3. 3
    In the end; finally.
  4. 4
    Used to indicate the etymon at which a given etymological derivation terminates.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Firstly,… Secondly,… Ultimately,…
  2. Ultimately, he will have to make a decision before the end of the week.

Etymology

From ultimate + -ly.

This word in other languages

finalmente(Español)ultimo(Français)schließlich(Deutsch)finalmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lutimately
  • ulitmately
  • ulltimately
  • ultiamtely
  • ultimaetly
  • ultimatelly
  • ultimatelyy
  • ultimateyl
  • ultimatley
  • ultimattely
  • ultimmately
  • ultimtaely
  • ultmiately
  • ulttimately
  • utlimately

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ultimately - 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.

lutimately2ulitmately2ulltimately1ultiamtely2ultimaetly2ultimatelly1ultimatelyy1ultimateyl2
Edit distance from "ultimately"

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 "ultimately"?
"ultimately" is spelled U-L-T-I-M-A-T-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ/.
What does "ultimately" mean?
As an adverb, "ultimately" means: Indicating the last item.
What words are commonly confused with "ultimately"?
"ultimately" is commonly confused with "ultimate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ultimately"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ultimately" is /ˈʌl.tɪ.mɪt.lɪ/. 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 "ultimately"?
From ultimate + -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 "ultimately", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

basketball#2,657personally#2,638opposition#2,635depression#2,670

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

understood15 variantsrevolution15 variantstournament15 variantspossibility15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list