Formerly

How to spell formerly

8 letters · 3 syllables

13 of the 21 people asked to spell formerly in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

How to pronounce formerly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does formerly mean?

1. adverbAt an earlier time; in the past, before the present situation.

Formerly in a sentence

• The building was formerly a bank before it became a restaurant.

• She formerly worked as an accountant in the same firm.

Where does formerly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English forma, meaning 'first' or 'earliest', which was itself a superlative built on the same Germanic root that gives us 'fore' and 'before'. By the Middle English period the comparative-looking 'former' had settled into the sense of 'earlier in time' or 'the previous one of two', and adding the ordinary adverb-forming suffix -ly produced 'formerly', meaning 'at an earlier time'. The word has been in steady use since the 1400s to point back to a past state of affairs. Its near-twin 'formally' comes from an entirely different source, the Latin forma 'shape or form', and the two are constant rivals in writing because they sound almost identical; remembering that 'formerly' is built on 'former' (earlier) is the surest way to keep the spelling straight.

How the word is built

• former (earlier, from Old English forma 'first')
• -ly (adverb suffix)