Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

firstly

/ˈfɜɹstli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.73 in modern English

Syllables: first-ly
IPA: /ˈfɜɹstli/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In the first place; before anything else; first.

Formal

Example Sentences

"Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants. […] Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand."
"We'll go into more depth with all the specs shortly so anyone less well versed in espresso speak will understand what I'm harping on about, but firstly let's just talk about using the machine."

Etymology

Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -ly.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: fyrst-lyk
Suffix: first

Usage

Formal

Inflected Forms

1stly (alternative)

Phrases

at first in the first place :Category:English sequence adverbs

Frequently Paired Words

at first in the first place :Category:English sequence adverbs

Synonyms

first first of all first up 1stly firstly first off in the first place foremost

Antonyms

lastly

Questions

How do you pronounce firstly?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɜɹstli/.
What does firstly mean?: In the first place; before anything else; first.
Where does firstly come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce firstly

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