• 2-minute read
• 2nd May 2020

Writing Tips: How to Spell ‘Definitely’

Many people struggle with the spelling of ‘definitely’. This might be because the pronunciation doesn’t make it clear which letters are there and how they fit together! But if you need to use this word in your writing, make sure you can spell it right every time with our guide below.

What Does ‘Definitely’ Mean?

‘Definitely’ is an adverb that means ‘without doubt’ or ‘clearly’. You can use it to emphasise how certain you are of something, as in these examples:

I’ll definitely get this project finished before the deadline.

That answer is definitely wrong.

Now that we’ve seen how it should be used, let’s look at some errors.

Common Misspellings

People misspell ‘definitely’ in a few different ways. Often, people use the wrong vowel somewhere, miss out a vowel, or add an extra ‘n’.

You can see some examples of incorrect spellings below:

We’re definately going to win the match tomorrow.

I’ll definitly have enough money to pay you tomorrow.

I definatly left it somewhere round here.

He’ll definently be here soon.

It’s also important not to write ‘defiantly’, which is a different word:

I’d defiantly like a piece of cake.

‘Defiantly’ means doing something in a way that openly shows resistance or disobedience (e.g. ‘defying’ expectations or rules).

Spelling Tips for ‘Definitely’

So, how can you avoid this common spelling pitfall? One way is to look at the middle part of the word. For example, you could remember that ‘definitely’ contains the word ‘finite’, or that it has ‘in’ and ‘it’ in it!

You can also avoid the common types of misspelling using these points:

• ‘Definitely’ only has one ‘n’.
• There’s a vowel between each consonant, except for ‘-ly’ at the end.
• The only vowels in ‘definitely’ are ‘e’ and ‘i’ (e – i – i – e).

The tips above will help you avoid spelling errors. And if you want someone to double check your writing for this and similar mistakes, our brilliant proofreading services are available 24/7.