Subtley or subtly?
Did you mean subtly? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
subtley
Correct
subtly
Correct spelling: subtly. Misspelling: subtley.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Subtle drops its final E before -y: SUBT-LY.
Why people write “subtley”
The misspelling “subtley” is only one letter off: it adds an extra vowel, E.
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make subtly automatic.
Other misspellings of “subtly”
People also write “subtlely”. Here is where each one goes wrong.
“subtlely”
Correct spelling: subtly. Misspelling: subtlely.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
“subtlely” differs from “subtly” in 2 places: it doubles the L, which subtly spells with just one; and it adds an extra vowel, E.
What does “subtly” mean?
subtly adverb
- in a subtle manner
“late nineteenth-century French opera at its most beautiful, subtly romantic with a twilight melancholy”
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Subtly” in a sentence
- He subtly changed the subject.
- Late nineteenth-century French opera at its most beautiful, subtly romantic with a twilight melancholy.
Is “subtly” a playable word?
11 points in Scrabble · 13 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“subtley” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from SUBTLY.