aleady

Aleady is a nonstandard spelling and common typographical error of the English adverb already. It is not recognized in standard dictionaries and is considered incorrect in formal writing. The correct word, already, means "before now" or "by this time" (for example, "She had already left"). Already historically derives from the phrase all ready and is now a single word in modern usage.

The misspelling aleady typically arises from phonetic confusion, hurried typing, or misremembering the letter order. Because already contains the substring ready, a useful mnemonic is to note its relation to the adjective ready; the adverb indicates that something is in a ready state at an earlier time. Aleady does not have a separate meaning and should be replaced with already in edits.

Related confusions include the two-word phrase all ready (meaning completely prepared), which is distinct from already. Writers can avoid the aleady error by proofreading, using spell-check tools, and remembering that the correct form contains the sequence ready. In informal contexts such as instant messaging, misspellings like aleady are common, but standard spelling is expected in academic, professional, and published texts.