The truth about "truely": a common spelling mistake explained

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 30/10/2024, 12:36

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

Spelling error

Why do people make this mistake?

People may mistakenly believe "truly" follows the regular pattern of forming adverbs by adding "-ly" to an adjective. Since "true" ends with "e", they might think they need to keep the "e".

What is correct?

"Truly" is the correct spelling of the adverb form of "true". The "-e" is dropped before adding "-ly".

Examples of correct usage

She truly cares about her friends.
He is truly an expert in his field.
The landscape was truly breathtaking.
I truly appreciate your help.