You’re sitting there, fingers hovering over the keyboard, or maybe you’re mid-sentence in a text, and suddenly your brain just... stalls. It’s a common glitch. You know the word. You use it every single day. But for some reason, the moment you try to visualize the letters, "verbally" starts to look like a jumbled mess of V’s and L’s.
So, how do you spell verbally?
It’s V-E-R-B-A-L-L-Y. Simple, right? Except it isn’t. Not when your brain is trying to decide if there’s one "L" or two, or if that "A" should actually be an "E." Honestly, English spelling is a nightmare of historical accidents and borrowed phonetics. We’ve all been there.
The Anatomy of the Word Verbally
Let's break it down before we get into why it’s so tricky. The word is an adverb. It stems from the root word "verbal," which comes from the Latin verbalis, meaning "consisting of words." When you add the suffix "-ly" to an adjective ending in "l," you almost always end up with a double "L." That’s the golden rule here.
Verbal + ly = Verbally.
Think about other words that follow this exact pattern. Totally. Really. Finally. You don’t just drop the extra "L" because it feels redundant; you keep it to signify the transition from the state of the thing (verbal) to the manner in which it’s being done (verbally).
It sounds straightforward when you're looking at it on a screen, but the phonetics of the word are a bit of a trap. Most people don't enunciate every syllable when they're speaking casually. We say "ver-bl-ee." We swallow that middle "A." Because that "A" gets buried in our speech, our brains often try to delete it when we're writing.
Why Your Brain Wants to Get it Wrong
Spelling isn't just about memory; it's about how we process sounds. The "schwa" sound—that indeterminate vowel sound that pops up in unstressed syllables—is the enemy of correct spelling. In "verbally," the second syllable is unstressed. It’s weak.
If you look at linguistic studies from places like the Linguistic Society of America, you'll find that English is "morphophonemic." This basically means our spelling is a mix of how things sound and where they came from. Because "verbally" doesn't sound like it has a crisp, clear "A" in the middle, we instinctively want to write "verbly" or "verbaly."
One "L" is the most common typo. Why? Because we’re lazy. Or rather, our brains are efficient. We see one "L" in "verbal" and we think, "Yeah, that’s enough work for one word." But in the world of formal writing and SEO-standard English, that single "L" is a glaring red flag.
Common Misspellings to Watch Out For
- Verbaly (Missing the second L)
- Verbely (Swapping the A for an E)
- Verbly (Deleting the middle vowel entirely)
- Verbally (Wait, that one’s actually right)
Interestingly, the word "verbal" itself has shifted in meaning over the centuries. Originally, it just meant anything using words—written or spoken. Nowadays, people use it almost exclusively to mean "spoken." This linguistic shift doesn't change the spelling, but it does change how we perceive the word's "weight" in a sentence.
Does Spelling Actually Still Matter?
Some people argue that as long as the point gets across, the spelling of "verbally" doesn't matter. They're wrong. In professional contexts, especially in law or business, the distinction is massive.
Imagine a "verbal agreement." If you’re writing an email about a contract and you misspell the adverb form, it subtly undermines your authority. It’s unfair, but it’s true. We judge. Humans are built to look for patterns, and when a pattern is "broken" by a typo, it creates a tiny bit of friction in the reader's mind.
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According to researchers at Microsoft and various educational tech firms, spellcheck has actually made us worse at "sight spelling." We rely on the red squiggly line. But what happens when the squiggly line doesn't show up because you wrote "verbaly" and your phone's autocorrect decided you meant "verbally" but then glitched out? You're left with a mistake.
Mastering the "Double L" Rule
If you want to never search for "how do you spell verbally" ever again, you need a mnemonic.
Think of it this way: To speak verbally, you need Lips and Language. Two things. Two L’s.
This works for most "-ly" adverbs. If the base word ends in L, you’re going to have a double L party.
- Actual -> Actually
- General -> Generally
- Mutual -> Mutually
There are very few exceptions to this in English. It’s one of the few times the language actually behaves itself and follows a predictable path.
The Difference Between Verbal and Oral
This is a nuance that even experts miss. While you're worrying about the spelling, you might be using the wrong word entirely.
"Verbally" means "using words." This can include written words. If you communicate via text, you are technically communicating verbally. "Orally" refers specifically to things done by mouth—speech.
If you say, "He was verbally abusive," it could mean he sent nasty emails. If you say, "He was orally abusive," it specifically means he was shouting or saying things out loud. In common parlance, we’ve blurred these lines so much that they’re almost gone, but if you’re writing for a technical or legal audience, knowing this distinction is just as important as knowing how to spell the word.
How to Practice Better Spelling Habits
It sounds old-school, but the best way to internalize the spelling of "verbally" is to write it out by hand. There’s a physical connection between the hand and the brain—kinesthetic learning—that doesn't happen when you're just tapping a touchscreen.
Try this: Write "verbally" ten times on a piece of scrap paper. Focus on the transition from the 'a' to the double 'l'.
Another trick? Break it into three distinct beats: VER - BAL - LY.
If you can say it in three beats, you're much less likely to try and squeeze it into a two-syllable spelling like "verbly."
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Real-World Usage and Nuance
In 2026, with the rise of voice-to-text, we’re seeing a new kind of spelling error. AI often gets the context right, but sometimes it struggles with homophones or near-homophones. If you’re dictating a memo, the software usually gets "verbally" right because it’s a common word in its database. However, if you have a heavy accent or you’re in a noisy room, it might default to "verbal" followed by a weirdly placed "lee."
Always proofread.
Actionable Steps for Flawless Writing
Stop relying on the "red line." It’s a crutch that’s making our collective spelling skills atrophy. When you hit a word like "verbally," take a half-second to think about its root.
- Identify the root: The root is "verbal."
- Identify the suffix: The suffix is "-ly."
- Combine them: Don't drop any letters. Just mash them together.
If you’re still struggling, change your perspective. Instead of thinking of it as one word, think of it as the "Verbal" "Ly" combo.
For those who write a lot of business correspondence, consider setting up a "text replacement" shortcut on your phone or computer. You can set it so that if you type "verbaly," it automatically expands to the correct "verbally." It’s a temporary fix, but it saves face while you’re still training your brain.
The most important thing to remember is that spelling is a skill, not a static trait. You aren't "bad at spelling." You might just be out of practice or moving too fast. Slow down at the end of the word. That second "L" is waiting for you.
Next Steps to Improve Your Writing:
- Audit your common typos: Look through your sent folder. Search for "verbaly" or "actualy." If you see a pattern, you know which "-ly" words need your attention.
- Manual Overrides: Turn off "Auto-Correct" for one day. It’s frustrating, but it forces you to actually look at the words you’re forming.
- Read more physical books: Seeing words in print—properly edited, professionally typeset print—reinforces the correct visual patterns of words like "verbally" much better than reading social media posts where spelling is often optional.