Pronunciation: [bɪlˈe͡ɪtɪdli] (IPA) 
Belatedly is spelled with the letters b, e, l, a, t, e, d, l, and y. The IPA phonetic transcription of this word is bɪˈleɪtɪdli. The word is an adverb that means "late" or "delayed". The prefix "be-" means "in the process of" and "-ated" means "provided with", which is why belatedly means "in the process of being provided with a delay". This word is commonly used when apologizing for sending a message or gift too late.
Belatedly is an adverb derived from the word "belated," which refers to something that is done or arriving late. It describes an action or occurrence that takes place well after the expected or appropriate time.
When used, belatedly indicates a delayed response, completion, or acknowledgment. It reflects a sense of tardiness, often conveying regret or apology for acting or responding late. The word implies that the action or event being referred to had been expected or required to happen earlier but was postponed, overlooked, or unfairly delayed.
Belatedly can be used in various contexts, such as apologies, acknowledgments, or recognition. For example, one might say, "I apologize belatedly for not attending the meeting yesterday," which means they express regret for failing to be present at the meeting in a timely manner. Similarly, a statement like, "The government belatedly acknowledged the need for environmental reform," implies that the acknowledgment came much later than it should have.
In summary, belatedly defines an action or occurrence that happens later than expected or required, typically accompanied by remorse, regret, or a sense of overdue response. The term embraces the notion of delay, indicating that something that should have occurred earlier was completed or acknowledged at a later time.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word belatedly is derived from the adjective belated. Belated originated in the early 17th century and is composed of two elements: be- and lated. The prefix be- is an intensifier, while lated is a past participle form of the verb late, meaning coming or happening after the expected time. Therefore, belated literally means later than expected or delayed. The suffix -ly is added to belated to form the adverb belatedly, which means after the expected time or late in relation to an event or occurrence.
