You’re staring at the cursor. It’s blinking. You just finished a high-stakes email to a boss or a potential landlord, and you want to close it out with some class. You type "R-e-s-p-e-c-t..." and then you freeze. Is it two Ls? Does the 'ful' part change because of the 'ly'? Honestly, questioning how do you spell respectfully is one of those tiny mental glitches that happens to the best of us, usually right when we need to look the most professional.
It’s a weirdly tricky word.
The correct spelling is respectfully.
There’s no "a" before the "lly," and there isn't a double "t" anywhere in sight. It follows the standard English convention of taking a base noun (respect), adding an adjective-forming suffix (-ful), and then slapping on the adverbial suffix (-ly). It sounds simple when you break it down, but the human brain loves to overcomplicate things when the stakes are high.
Why We Trip Up on the Spelling of Respectfully
Most people mess this up because they confuse it with words like "basically" or "drastically." In those words, you have that "al" bridge before the "ly." If you’ve ever typed "respectfully" and felt like it looked too short or "naked," you’re likely subconsciously trying to turn it into "respectfully." Don't do that. That "a" doesn't belong there.
Another culprit? The word "respectively."
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They sound similar. They look similar. But they are entirely different beasts. If you tell a group of people that they should go to their "respectfully" assigned seats, you’re basically telling them to sit down in a polite manner. If you tell them to go to their "respectively" assigned seats, you’re telling them to go to the specific seats that belong to them in a particular order.
Confusion is natural. English is basically three languages in a trench coat, and the rules change depending on which "layer" of the language you’re using at the moment. When you're asking how do you spell respectfully, you're really navigating the minefield of Latin roots mixed with Middle English suffixes.
The Adverb Architecture: Breaking It Down
Let’s look at the anatomy of the word.
- The Root: Respect. This comes from the Latin respectus, meaning "to look back at" or "regard."
- The Adjective: Respectful. You take the root and add -ful. Note that the suffix -ful only has one "L" when it's part of a word (like beautiful, hopeful, or painful).
- The Adverb: Respectfully. To turn that adjective into an adverb, you add -ly.
Since "respectful" already ends in an "L," and you’re adding "ly," you end up with a double "L" at the end. That’s the golden rule. Double the L, skip the A. I’ve seen people try to spell it "respectfuly" with just one L. That’s wrong. It looks like it should rhyme with "July," which it definitely doesn't. You need that double-L punch to make the "lee" sound work in English phonetics.
Real-World Examples of Using it Right
Suppose you’re writing a letter of resignation. You want to leave on good terms.
"I respectfully submit my resignation, effective two weeks from today."
Here, the word describes how you are performing the action. You are doing it with respect.
Compare that to a legal setting. A lawyer might say, "We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling." It’s a polite way of saying "you're wrong," without getting held in contempt. It's the ultimate linguistic shield.
The Respectfully vs. Respectively Trap
This is the biggest hurdle for most writers. If you're searching for how do you spell respectfully, there’s a 40% chance you actually meant to use "respectively."
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Here is the vibe check:
- Respectfully = With great respect or politeness.
- Respectively = In the order previously mentioned.
Example: "John and Sarah are 30 and 32 years old, respectively."
This means John is 30 and Sarah is 32. If you said they were 30 and 32 "respectfully," it would mean they were being very polite about their ages. Which makes no sense.
Does Spelling Actually Matter in 2026?
You might think autocorrect has our backs. But honestly, AI and spell-checkers are sometimes too smart for their own good. If you type "respectivly," your phone might autocorrect it to "respectfully" because it's a more common word, even if you meant "respectively."
In professional communication, spelling is a proxy for attention to detail. If you can’t spell the word that is literally meant to show respect, it kind of undermines the whole point, doesn't it? It’s like showing up to a black-tie event with a ketchup stain on your lapel. People notice.
How to Memorize the Spelling Forever
If you struggle with this, try the "Full-Ly" trick.
Ask yourself: Is the person full of respect?
Yes.
Then they are acting respectfully.
Think of it as two separate pieces: Respectful + Ly.
Because "respectful" ends in an L, and "ly" starts with an L, they join together to form that double-L ending.
Common Misspellings to Delete From Your Brain:
- Respectfuly (Missing an L)
- Respectfully (Adding a random A)
- Respektfully (Just... no)
- Respectivly (Confusing it with its cousin)
Actionable Steps for Better Writing
Stop relying on the red squiggly line. It's a crutch that fails when you use a real word in the wrong context. Instead, try these three things:
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- Slow down at the sign-off. Most spelling errors in "respectfully" happen in the last ten seconds of writing an email. You're in a rush to hit send. Don't. Look at the word. Count the Ls.
- Read it out loud. If you say "respectfully" and "respectively" out loud, the difference in the "t-f-u-l" vs "t-i-v-e" sound becomes much more obvious.
- Use a synonym if you're panicking. If your brain just won't cooperate with the spelling of respectfully, use "Sincerely" or "With regards." There’s no shame in a strategic retreat.
When in doubt, remember: Respect + ful + ly. No extra vowels, no missing consonants. Just a straightforward path to looking like you know exactly what you’re doing.