Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell primarily

Primarily is spelled P-R-I-M-A-R-I-L-Y.

What it means: Mainly or for the most part.

In a sentence: A bird's diet is primarily made up of seeds and insects. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: primitive, prime, principal, main. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Primarily” comes from the Latin word “primarius,” meaning “of the first rank” or “chief.” Over time, English turned “primary” (first, main) into the adverb “primarily” to mean “mainly” or “for the most part.”

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