vertically
/ˈvɝ.tɪ.kəli/adverb
vertically is spelled V-E-R-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, vertically means “In a vertical direction or position” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in vertically?
| Letters | 10: V-E-R-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is vertically?
Vertically appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vertically?
- UK /ˈvɜː.tɪ.kl̩i/
- US /ˈvɝ.tɪ.kəli/
Vertically has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-vertically.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vertically
- more vertically comparative
- most vertically superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vertically mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a vertical direction or position.
This story needs to be read vertically to be understood correctly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vertically in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a vertical direction or position:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | verticalement |
| German | vertikal, senkrecht |
| Portuguese | verticalmente |
| Spanish | verticalmente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vertically come from?
From vertical + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).