Frequently

How to spell frequently

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce frequently

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does frequently mean?

1. adverbAt short intervals; happening or occurring often.

Frequently in a sentence

• Commuters on that line frequently complain about delays.

• The software updates frequently to patch security flaws.

Where does frequently come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective frequens, which meant 'crowded', 'numerous', or 'thronging', describing a place packed full of people. From it came frequentia, the noun for a great gathering, and the verb frequentare, meaning to visit a place often or to fill it. English borrowed the adjective 'frequent' in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, at first carrying that older sense of crowded or abundant before settling on the modern meaning of happening at short intervals. The adverb 'frequently' was then formed in English by adding the familiar -ly ending, the same suffix that turns countless adjectives into adverbs. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the unstressed -quen- with its silent-feeling vowel and the -ently ending that writers sometimes muddle with -antly.

How the word is built

• frequ- (from Latin frequens: crowded, repeated)
• -ent (adjective)
• -ly (adverb suffix)