accordingly means in a way that is appropriate to the particular circumstances or requirements. It signals that a consequence, action, or conclusion naturally follows from what has been stated or established. Commonly used to align behavior, decisions, or responses with prior information or criteria.
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US: rhotic /r/ in /ˈkɔːr/ is pronounced, keep /ɔː/ long and rounded. UK: non-rhotic or weak /r/; still keep /ˈkɔː/ and allow a lighter /r/; accenting the /ɔː/ vowel with a more back jaw position. AU: similar to UK with a slightly broader diphthong on /ɔː/ and faster tempo. All: ensure /d/ is clearly released, /ŋ/ is nasalized, and final /li/ has a crisp /l/ plus a short /i/ vowel; maintain a steady pace across the syllables. IPA references: /əˈkɔː.dɪŋ.li/.
"The company adjusted its policies accordingly after the legal ruling."
"She rearranged the schedule accordingly to accommodate everyone’s availability."
"If you’re not sure of the rules, please follow the guidance and act accordingly."
"The team apologized for the mistake and tried accordingly to rectify the situation."
Accordingly comes from the phrase according to, itself rooted in Latin-based construction. The core idea is “in agreement with” or “in proportion to,” and the suffix -ly marks it as an adverbial form. The earliest senses in English align with “in a manner that is in accordance with” and were used in the 16th and 17th centuries as writers aligned actions or statements with preceding facts or rules. Over time, the word generalized to indicate results or actions that naturally follow from prior information or criteria. The form accordingly is now a common adverb used to introduce a consequence, implication, or adjustment that mirrors the information previously referenced. Its evolution reflects the broader English habit of turning prepositional phrases into concise adverbial modifiers, a pattern seen in other -ly adverbs formed from “according to” and similar constructs. First known usage examples appear in legal, formal, and literary contexts, where writers were careful to specify alignment with established facts or requirements. The word’s semantic freight remains stable: alignment, conformity, and relevance to prior statements or conditions, now frequently appearing in both formal writing and everyday speech. In modern usage, accordingly often sets up a result clause, emphasizes rationale, or introduces a responsive action that matches the stated criteria.
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Words that rhyme with "accordingly"
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Say /əˈkɔː.dɪŋ.li/ (US/UK) with primary stress on the second syllable: a-c-CORD-ing-ly. Start with a schwa /ə/, then an open back rounded /ɔː/ as in 'caught,' followed by /d/ and a light /ɪ/ before /ŋ/ plus /li/ at the end. Keep the /ŋ/ nasal and the final /li/ light. Audio reference: you can compare in hands-free listening apps to similar words like 'according' and 'accord'.
Two frequent errors: (1) Dropping the second syllable stress and saying a-COOR-ding-ly with wrong placement; keep the primary stress on /ˈkɔːr/. (2) Slurring the -ing-ty part into /ɪŋli/ or mispronouncing the final /li/ as /lɪ/; instead end with a clear /li/ after the nasal. Practice the sequence: /ə/ + /ˈkɔːr/ + /dɪŋ/ + /li/ and avoid hard or full sounds on the ending.
In US, UK, and AU varieties, the primary stress remains on the second syllable /ˈkɔːr/. US tends to reduce the first vowel slightly more; UK and AU maintain broad /ɔː/ quality. The rhotics differ: US is rhotic, so /r/ is pronounced in /ˈkɔːr/. Non-rhotic accents (some UK varieties) may lightly imply the /r/ if linking sounds occur, but in careful speech you still hear /ˈkɔː.dɪŋ.li/. The final /li/ is typically clear across accents.
Because it combines multiple phonemes that aren’t always adjacent in your common speech: a schwa on the first, a long stressed /ɔː/ in the second, a cluster with /d/ and /ŋ/ in the middle, and a light /li/ ending. The sequence /dɪŋ/ is easy to blur, and the final /li/ requires precise tongue position to avoid blending with preceding nasal. Maintaining the secondary stress pattern and clean /ŋ/ before the final /li/ can be challenging.
A key nuance is the placement of stress and the crisp articulation of the -ing- syllable before the final -ly. You’ll hear a clear /dɪŋ/ before the lieof /li/; don’t merge /ŋ/ into /l/ and don’t give the -ly a full syllable separation. Focusing on a short, clean /ŋ/ followed by /li/ helps the word stay natural and not muffled in rapid speech.
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