SEK-uhnd-lee
/ˈsɛkəndli/
secondly is pronounced SEK-uhnd-lee (/ˈsɛkəndli/). Secondly is an adverb used to indicate the second point in a sequence or argument. It also functions to transition to secondarily related ideas. Pronounced with stress on the first syllable, it behaves as a two-syllable word with a clear flow from /ˈsɛk.ɒnd.li/ or /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ in typical speech, depending on accent, and often blends the final -ly with the preceding syllable in fast speech.
Secondly is an adverb used to indicate the second point in a sequence or argument. It also functions to transition to secondarily related ideas. Pronounced with stress on the first syllable, it behaves as a two-syllable word with a clear flow from /ˈsɛk.ɒnd.li/ or /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ in typical speech, depending on accent, and often blends the final -ly with the preceding syllable in fast speech.
"Firstly, we need to establish the timeline. Secondly, we should consider the cost implications."
"The report mentions two factors; secondly, environmental impact must be addressed."
"In the experiment, participants were first trained, and secondly they were tested for retention."
Say it as three syllables with primary stress on the first: /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/. The middle syllable is a schwa or reduced vowel in many accents: /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ or /ˈsek.ən.dli/. In careful speech, you can clearly articulate /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ with an audible /d/ before the -ly. In connected speech, the final /li/ may blur to /li/ or become less distinct, but you still hear the sequence: SE-uh n-dlee. Audio references: refer to pronunciation dictionaries with Cambridge/Forvo for the exact speaker variant, and you can listen to US/UK pronunciations there.
Common errors include compressing it to two syllables like /ˈsɛk.dli/ by dropping the middle vowel, or turning the final -ly into a separate syllable with unusual emphasis. Some speakers overshoot the /n/ or misplace the stress, saying /ˈsɛkˌsən.dli/ or /ˈsɛk.ən.dlih/. Correct it by maintaining three clear syllables /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ and stressing the first syllable; keep the middle vowel as a reduced /ə/ (schwa) sound and pronounce the final /dli/ as a light /dli/ rather than a hard cluster.
In US English the final -ly often gives a lighter, faster /li/ with a more pronounced /d/ before it, and the middle vowel tends toward a schwa /ə/. In UK English you may hear a slightly longer first syllable with less aggressive flapping, producing /ˈsek.ən.dli/. Australian English tends to be closer to UK but with a less rhotic vowel in some speakers and a softer /d/; some speakers may reduce the middle vowel more aggressively. Across all accents, primary stress remains on the first syllable.
The difficulty lies in maintaining the three-syllable rhythm with a stable schwa in the middle and a crisp onset for the final -ly. English suffix -ly in third person adverbs often creates an unnecessary additional syllable; here keeping /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ requires careful control of tongue position: the /s/ and /z/ region, a relaxed mid-central vowel in /ə/, and a clear /d/ before the /l/ and /i/ sequence. Coordinating the three consonant segments without overemphasizing any one sound is the core challenge.
Many learners notice the middle syllable often reduces to a weak /ə/ (the schwa). They also search for guidance on not merging the middle and final consonants too tightly; keep the /d/ as a distinct consonant before the /l/ /i/ sequence. So the unique focus is balancing the middle vowel with a clean /d/ onset before the final /li/ cluster, producing /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/ rather than /ˈsek.dli/ or /ˈsɛk.ən.dli/.
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The word secondly derives from the adverb form second + -ly to form an adverbial modifier. The base word second comes from Old English secgend? No; the etymology is from proto-Germanic *sekan? Actually, ‘second’ originates from Latin secundus via Old French seconde, from Latin secunda ‘second, favorable, following,’ from secare ‘to cut’ in sense of following or subsequent. The -ly suffix to form adverbs appears in Middle English and Old French influences, producing words like quickly, hardly, softly. The semantic development followed the need to enumerate sequential points: first, second, third, etc. In modern English, secondly is almost exclusively a sequencing adverb used in formal or structured discourse, particularly in essays, reports, and speeches. The earliest attested uses likely appear in 16th–17th century English prose and rhetoric where enumerative transitions became standardized. Over time, usage broadened to multiple contexts but retained a formal register; in colloquial speech, speakers may omit or replace with “and then” or “also” when reaching the second point, so secondly is now primarily a written or carefully spoken transitional marker. First known usage traces back to the general trend of ordinal adverb formation in English, with ‘second’ and ‘secondly’ paralleling other -ly derivatives such as firstly and finally.
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