How to Spell Daily

  • Eseandre Mordi

  • 26 Feb 2024

This article is designed to guide you through the correct spelling of the word "daily" and provide insights into its use, common mistakes, and memory aids to ensure you always get it right.

Correct Spelling of Daily

The correct spelling of the word is daily. It is often misspelled due to misunderstandings of English phonetics and the rules of vowel combination. Remember, the spelling is D-A-I-L-Y, which reflects its pronunciation closely and follows typical English spelling patterns for adverbs and adjectives derived from nouns.

How to Remember the Correct Spelling

One technique for remembering "daily" is to break it down by sound: D + ay (like the "ai" in rain) + ly. Another method is to associate it with the word "day," as in "every day" simplified to "daily" to express something that happens every day.

Common Spelling Mistakes

  • Dailly - Adding an extra "l" is a common mistake that stems from overcorrection or misapplication of spelling rules for doubling consonants.
  • Dayly - This error likely arises from incorrectly carrying over the "y" from "day" without changing to "i" before adding "ly".

These variations are incorrect as they do not conform to the recognized spelling of "daily" in any standard English dictionaries.

Definition and Etymology of Daily

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), "daily" is transcribed as /ˈdeɪ.li/. This shows that the word has two syllables: "deɪ," similar to the word "day," and "li," a light, secondary syllable. The word "daily" is an adjective or adverb meaning "every day" or "day by day." It comes from the Old English word "dæglic," which can be broken down into "dæg" (day) + "lic" (ly). The transformation of "dæglic" to "daily" in modern English reflects the natural phonetic evolution and simplification of the language over centuries.

Examples of Using Daily

  • I check the news on my phone daily.
  • She goes for a walk daily to get some fresh air.
  • Our team conducts daily briefings to stay updated.

FAQ

What does the word mean? 
Daily means something that happens or is done every day.

Words Closely Related: day, everyday, day-to-day.

Synonyms: everyday, day-to-day, routinely.

There is no difference in the spelling of "daily" between American and British English. The word is spelled the same in both variants, reflecting its universal application and understanding in English-speaking countries.

In Which Academic Dictionaries You Can Find This Word

  1. Oxford English Dictionary.
  2. Cambridge Dictionary.
  3. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.


#grammar #spelling #English #education #vocabulary

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