Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

surely

/ˈʃʊɹli/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.55 in modern English

Syllables: sure-ly
IPA: /ˈʃʊɹli/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

adv

Certainly, undoubtedly.

adv

With confidence.

Example Sentences

"slowly but surely"
"Surely, you must be joking."
"You don’t suppose we're going to pay for you, surely?"
"She’s surely got the letter by now."
"But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…]."
"The money feels good / And your life you like it well / But surely your time will come / As in heaven, as in hell"

Etymology

From Middle English surely; equivalent to sure + -ly.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: surely

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈʃʊɹli/

Inflected Forms

surelier (comparative) more surely (comparative) sureliest (superlative) most surely (superlative)

Phrases

almost surely

Synonyms

certainly wis sure for sure for certain sure enough sure as shooting

Homonyms

Shirley (in some dialects)

Rhymes With

purely prematurely securely demurely poorly obscurely sorely

Questions

How do you pronounce surely?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʃʊɹli/.
What does surely mean?: Without fail.
Where does surely come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce surely

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