utterly

/ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li/

//ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li// adv

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

"utterly" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“utterly” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,974. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,974
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-utterly · utterly · English

utterly · rank #6,974 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,974
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH voltage

Nearest frequency peer: voltage (+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 “utterly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “utterly” 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).

utterly vs utter
71% similar
utterly vs uttered
71% similar

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

Key facts for utterly
PropertyValue
Headwordutterly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,974
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “utterly”

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).utterlylands 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 “voltage” (#6,975), “towers” (#6,972), “warn” (#6,976). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “utterly” is #6,974. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around utterly (IPA /ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #6,974 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for utterly, with forms such as "tuterly", "uterly", and "utetrly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "utter", "uttered", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From utter + -ly. The correct English form is utterly, spelled U-T-T-E-R-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Well, now we are utterly lost.
  2. I have failed you utterly.

Etymology

From utter + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tuterly
  • uterly
  • utetrly
  • uttelry
  • utterlly
  • utterlyy
  • utterrly
  • utteryl
  • uttrely

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tuterly2uterly1utetrly2uttelry2utterlly1utterlyy1utterrly1utteryl2
Edit distance from "utterly"

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 "utterly"?
"utterly" is spelled U-T-T-E-R-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li/.
What does "utterly" mean?
As an adverb, "utterly" means: Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.
What words are commonly confused with "utterly"?
"utterly" is commonly confused with "utter", "uttered". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "utterly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "utterly" is /ˈʌt.ə(ɹ).li/. 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 "utterly"?
From utter + -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 "utterly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

voltage#6,975workout#6,978advisor#6,983starter#6,963

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

towers9 variantsstakes9 variantsPalmer9 variantsnerves9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list