SPEE-duh-lee
/ˈspidəli/
speedily is pronounced SPEE-duh-lee (/ˈspidəli/). Speedily means doing something with great haste or urgency, in a manner that emphasizes quickness and efficiency. It implies prompt action with minimal delay, often to meet a deadline or overcome a challenge. The term highlights rapid movement or execution, rather than deliberation or slowness, and is commonly used to describe how tasks are carried out.
Speedily means doing something with great haste or urgency, in a manner that emphasizes quickness and efficiency. It implies prompt action with minimal delay, often to meet a deadline or overcome a challenge. The term highlights rapid movement or execution, rather than deliberation or slowness, and is commonly used to describe how tasks are carried out.
- You might trip on the three-syllable rhythm, rushing the middle /dɪ/ or gliding into the final /li/. Take time to anchor the /ˈspiː/ onset, then snap the /d/ clearly before the quick /ɪ/ and /li/. - Another common error is turning the middle syllable into a long vowel or reducing /ɪ/ to a near-schwa; this muddies the distinct syllables. - Finally, some speakers compress into /ˈspiːdli/ by skipping the /ɪ/; ensure you pronounce /dɪ/ as a distinct syllable with a short vowel. Practice by isolating each syllable and then layering them in speed.
"She finished the report speedily to meet the noon deadline."
"The cyclists accelerated speedily once the race began."
"They responded speedily to the emergency, ensuring everyone’s safety."
Pronounce it as /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/. The primary stress is on the first syllable: SPEE. Then a short, quick -di- with a soft d, followed by a light -ly. In full: SPEE-dih-lee. Make sure the /iː/ is held for about a beat before transitioning to the short /ɪ/ and final /li/. Audio reference: you can hear it in Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries’ spoken entries and on pronunciation-focused channels like Rachel’s English.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the middle syllable or gliding too quickly from /ˈspiː/ to /li/; 2) Turning /dɪ/ into a softer, indistinct sound like /dɪl/ or de-emphasizing the /d/; 3) Merging /iː/ with the following /d/ producing /spiːdɪli/ with a flattened /d/ too soft. Correction: keep a crisp /d/ between the second and third syllables, ensure a distinct /ɪ/ before the final /li/, and maintain a clear /ˈspiː/ onset by keeping the lips spread and jaw relaxed before the tongue shifts to /d/.
Across accents, the main variance is vowel length and rhoticity. In US and AU, /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/ retains a clear /iː/ then /ɪ/ with the final /li/, rhoticity is minimal; in UK non-rhotic varieties, you still produce /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/ but with slightly shorter final /i/ and less length on the final vowel. The most noticeable difference is the vowel quality: Americans may have a tighter /ɪ/ in the second syllable; Australians often have a slightly higher but still fronted /i/. IPA references: US /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/; UK /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/; AU /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/.
The difficulty lies in the rapid transition between syllables and the precise articulation of the middle /dɪ/ cluster. Speakers often merge the /d/ into a dless, or insert extra vowel sounds, producing /ˈspiː.d̬ɪ.ɫi/ or /ˈspiːdɪli/. The task requires keeping a short, distinct /ɪ/ and a crisp /li/ without slurring. Practicing slow, deliberate enunciation and moving to connected speech helps maintain the intended rhythm and stress pattern.
A peculiar point is the /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/ pattern that must be heard as three syllables with even timing. Watch for avoiding vowel reduction: the /ɪ/ in the second syllable should not become a schwa in careful speech, and the final /li/ should not be elided or nasalized. Mouth positioning involves wide lip spread for /iː/, tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge for /d/, and a light, quick /l/ followed by a relaxed final /i/.
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- US: Maintain broader mouth opening on /iː/ with a clean alveolar /d/; the /ɪ/ in the second syllable should be short and crisp, not elongated. - UK: Slightly shorter vowel durations; keep non-rhoticity in final /li/ but maintain clear /d/. - AU: Similar to US; slight widening of vowels and a more relaxed jaw. IPA references: /ˈspiː.dɪ.li/ across all three; ensure /ː/ on /iː/ is audible. - Key differences: rhoticity is not a factor in speedily; main variance is vowel duration and consonant clarity.
Speedily originates from the word speed, itself derived from the Old English spede (or spedo) meaning success, prosperity, or velocity. The adjective form speed is found in Middle English with roots in Proto-Germanic speþiz, linked to the sense of swift movement. The suffix -ily is an adverbial form of -y, created to express manner. The evolution tracks from Old English recordings of spedeС to Middle English speed and is influenced by Germanic languages that attach the -ly adverbial ending to adjectives. The earliest attestations appear in English texts of the 14th and 15th centuries, though the exact first use of speedily is not cataloged in a single definitive source. Over time, speedily retained the sense of rapid action, distinguishing it from merely fast or quick in terms of purpose or efficiency. Contemporary usage emphasizes not just speed but also purposeful expeditiousness in execution.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "speedily" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "speedily"
-ily sounds
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