Noticeably

How to spell noticeably

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce noticeably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does noticeably mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is clear or easy to observe; to an extent that attracts attention.

Noticeably in a sentence

• The new heating made the office noticeably warmer.

• Prices were noticeably higher after the holidays.

Where does noticeably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin verb notare, meaning 'to mark' or 'to note', which itself grew from nota, a 'mark' or 'sign'. From notare English inherited the noun 'notice', borrowed through Old French in the late 1400s with the sense of 'taking note' or 'observing'. Adding the suffix -able produced 'noticeable', meaning 'able to be noticed', and the adverb 'noticeably' followed naturally. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the soft 'c' must keep its following 'e' to stay soft, so the word is built on 'notice' plus '-able', not on a stem ending in hard 'c'. The same Latin notare also gave us 'note', 'notion', and 'notable', a family of relatives all rooted in the idea of marking something worth observing.

How the word is built

• notic- (from notice: to observe)
• -able (capable of being)
• -ly (adverb suffix), keeping the soft 'c' before -e