Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell definitely

What it means: Without question and beyond doubt.

In a sentence: I definitely will share my toys with you. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as definately or definatly.

Same family: define, definition, definitive, indefinite, definiteness. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Definitely” comes from the Latin root *finis*, meaning “end” or “limit,” through the word *definite* (“clearly set within limits”). It became common in English in the 16th–17th centuries and is now one of the most frequently misspelled words in online writing.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

totally · happily · seriously · personally · physically · rapidly · constantly · ultimately

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