very

/ˈvɛɹi/

//ˈvɛɹi// adv

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

"very" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“very” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #106. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#106
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To a great extent or degree.

Corpus desk

Index EN-very · very · English

very · rank #106 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #106
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH much

Nearest frequency peer: much (-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 “very”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “very” 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).

very vs VR
0% similar
very vs vet
50% similar
very vs vex
50% similar

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

Key facts for very
PropertyValue
Headwordvery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈvɛɹi/
Letters4
Frequency rank#106
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “very”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).verylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “much” (#105), “where” (#107), “most” (#104). Among 969 “V” headwords, “very” is #106. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around very (IPA /ˈvɛɹi/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #106 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for very, with forms such as "evry", "verry", and "veryy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "VR", "vet", "vex", 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 verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros. Distantly cognate with the Old English wǣr (“true”). … The correct English form is very, spelled V-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To a great extent or degree.
  2. 2
    Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true.
  3. 3
    Used to firmly establish that nothing else surpasses in some respect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That dress is very you.
  2. Not very many (of them) had been damaged.

Etymology

From Middle English verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros. Distantly cognate with the Old English wǣr (“true”). Over time displaced the use of a number of Germanic words or prefixes to convey the sense 'very' such as fele, full-, mægen, sore, sin-, swith, (partially) wel.

Synonyms

above a bitabsolutelysorelyabundantlyall toobut goodcompletelydamneminentlyever soexceedinglyexcessivelyextremelygreatlyhighlyin spadesjollymainmightilymurrainpassingpositivelyprettyquiterightsimplysorespeciallystronglyswithtrulyvastlyveryvery muchwayway toowickedwickedly

Antonyms

almostmostlyslightly

This word in other languages

muy(Español)très(Français)sehr(Deutsch)muito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evry
  • verry
  • veryy
  • veyr
  • vrey
  • vvery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of very - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

evry2verry1veryy1veyr2vrey2vvery1
Edit distance from "very"

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 "very"?
"very" is spelled V-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɛɹi/.
What does "very" mean?
As an adverb, "very" means: To a great extent or degree.
What words are commonly confused with "very"?
"very" is commonly confused with "VR", "vet", "vex". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "very"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "very" is /ˈvɛɹi/. 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 "very"?
From Middle English verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros. Distantly cognate with the Old English wǣr ... 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 "very", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

much#105even#108most#104here#111

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

work6 variantswant6 variantsback6 variantsthen6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list