How do you say supposedly

Improve this answer. I agree with you on the first point, but not the second. The fact that it's most often used with a subordinate clause doesn't detract from that. I maintain "supposably" sounds wrong because it's a phonetic derivative of "supposedly" in the same way "nucular" derives from "nuclear": a complex or uncommon consonant cluster being collapsed into a more familiar, easily pronounced one.

Jon's answer is great, but the people saying supposably really don't mean that, they mean supposedly. Gaol didn't become jail. They entered the language as separate, though related, words from different sources. Add a comment. Jon Purdy Jon Purdy How does this answer the question? Chris Dwyer: "One might suppose that the two words have distinct meanings: that the first refers to hypothetical supposition; the second, to actual supposition.

Enough people already say it, and we have to find a way to deal with it. Jon Purdy: do you have examples to illustrate the difference? Peter Mortensen: Yes. The question and my comment on it. If something is supposable, then to my mind that means it could be supposed, say, for the sake of discussion, without implying that there is anyone out there who actually supposes it. If something is not supposable, then presumably it's not only inconceivable, but also probably unfathomable.

The difference is subtle, but I think it'll grow over time as prescriptivists read too much into the terms. I'm just doing it for fun. Peter Mortensen: If I suppose that pigs have wings, then supposedly it is true: I did the supposition, so that pigs have wings is, in fact, supposed. If I say that supposably pigs have wings, then it's supposable but not actually supposed ; I didn't say "I suppose pigs have wings", and I'm not implying that anyone else has said that.

The first is saying "for the purpose of discussion, I assume pigs have wings", whereas the second says "it's possible to assume that pigs have wings", while saying nothing about whether anyone actually says so, even for the purpose of argument. Show 1 more comment. Not by everyone, that's for sure you just have to Google it to see people complaining.

Next, we'll have syllabub replacing syllable. Gary Rowe Gary Rowe 2 2 gold badges 7 7 silver badges 14 14 bronze badges.

See my answer. The -able ending sounds wrong with intransitive words. Log in Sign Up. Usage Notes 'Supposably' vs. But which are you supposed to use? What to Know Supposably is a real word and separate from supposedly. More Words At Play. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Nov. Time Traveler. Love words? Need even more definitions? I will use outline which of these spellings is correct and demonstrate its proper use in the English sentence with definitions and examples.

Plus, I will show you a memory tool that you can use to choose supposably or supposedly in your own writing. What does supposedly mean?

Supposedly is an adverb. It means assumed to be true. Adverbs modify verbs by describing how the action was performed. Most adverbs are obvious because they end in the suffix -ly.

Meet Grammar Coach. Debates over "supposedly" and "supposably" can get really heated, since one often gets mistaken for the other. Is "supposably" even supposed to be a word?