Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

earnestly

/ˈɝnɪstli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: earnest-ly
IPA: /ˈɝnɪstli/

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In an earnest manner; being very sincere; putting forth genuine effort.

Example Sentences

"The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion now thanked the Good Witch earnestly for her kindness, […]"
"One thing, however, I do most earnestly beg and entreat of you: […]"
"Before long, the unsuspecting salesman was earnestly pitching him "the quietest noisemaker on the market.""
"“This the only seat y’all got?” [Dank] Demoss, who also goes by Dajua Blanding, asks earnestly."

Etymology

From Middle English ernestly, from Old English eornostlīċe (“earnestly, strictly”), equivalent to earnest + -ly.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: ernestly, eornostlīċe

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɝnɪstli/
British English: /ˈɜːnɪstli/

Inflected Forms

more earnestly (comparative) most earnestly (superlative)

Synonyms

for real seriously in earnest

Questions

How do you pronounce earnestly?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɝnɪstli/.
What does earnestly mean?: In an earnest manner; being very sincere; putting forth genuine effort.
Where does earnestly come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce earnestly

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “earnestly”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɝnɪstli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “earnestly”.
Repeat and practice — Say “earnestly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.