Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell seriously

Seriously is spelled S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y.

What it means: In a solemn or stern manner; not playfully.

In a sentence: The teacher looked seriously at the students who were talking. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: seriousness, serious, grave, earnest. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Seriously” comes from the adjective “serious,” which arrived in English from Medieval Latin ‘seriosus,’ meaning ‘weighty’ or ‘important.’ Over time, English added the adverb ending “‑ly” so it could describe doing something in a serious way, not just being a serious person.

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