How do you pronounce likely?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlaɪkli/.

Where does likely come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

likely

/ˈlaɪkli/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.20 in modern English

Syllables: like-ly
IPA: /ˈlaɪkli/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring.

adj

Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined, probable.

adj

Appropriate, suitable; believable; promising, having a good potential.

adj

Plausible; within the realm of credibility.

adj

Leading with high probability to some specified outcome.

adj

Attractive; pleasant.

Archaic

adj

Similar; like; alike.

Obsolete

noun

Something or somebody considered likely.

Example Sentences

"Rain is likely later this afternoon."
"His parents — a restless, titanically self-involved father and a mother who cultivated her inner life in strict solitude — seem a much likelier source for his condition."
"Still, Saints looked the likeliest to make the breakthrough, and it came when Jonny Evans could only half-clear a long ball and Chaplow took full advantage."
"Do you think there's likely to be snow?"
"He is likely to succeed at anything he tries."
"In truth, Tottenham never really looked like taking all three points and this defeat means they face a battle to reach the knockout stages - with their next home game against PAOK Salonika on 30 November likely to prove decisive."

Etymology

From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċ (“suitable”) and Old Norse líkligr (“likely”) (probably independent formations), equivalent to like + -ly (adjectival suffix).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: likely, ġelīclīċ, líkligr, ġelīclīċe, líkliga, *līkalīka

Usage

Inflected Forms

more likely (comparative) likelier (comparative) most likely (superlative) likeliest (superlative) likelies (plural) Likelys (plural)

Derived Forms

likelihood likelily likeliness unlikely

Phrases

as likely as not likely lad likely story more than likely not likely not Pygmalion likely

Synonyms

proximate see synonyms at probably liable potential probably in all likelihood in all probability belike

Rhymes With

unlikely