wantonly

/ˈwɒntənli/

//ˈwɒntənli// adv

"wantonly" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wantonly” is uncommon English (frequency #68,746 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,746
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in a wanton manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wantonly · wantonly · English

wantonly · rank #68,746 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,746
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Waldemar

Nearest frequency peer: Waldemar (-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 “wantonly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wantonly
PropertyValue
Headwordwantonly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈwɒntənli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,746
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wantonly” in English

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).wantonlyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Waldemar” (#68,745), “Wapping” (#68,747), “VST” (#68,744). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wantonly” is #68,746. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wantonly is uncommon English at frequency #68,746 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈwɒntənli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "in a wanton manner.".

wantonly doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wantounly, wantounliche, equivalent to wanton + -ly. The correct English form is wantonly, spelled W-A-N-T-O-N-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    in a wanton manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Undoubtedly Madam—and it has always been a sentiment of mine—that to propagate a malicious Truth wantonly—is more despicable than to falsify from Revenge […]
  2. I believe that I have no enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me wantonly.

Etymology

From Middle English wantounly, wantounliche, equivalent to wanton + -ly.

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 "wantonly"?
"wantonly" is spelled W-A-N-T-O-N-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒntənli/.
What does "wantonly" mean?
As an adverb, "wantonly" means: in a wanton manner.
How do you pronounce "wantonly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wantonly" is /ˈwɒntənli/. 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 "wantonly"?
From Middle English wantounly, wantounliche, equivalent to wanton + -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 "wantonly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list