deep and deeply share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. deep means “relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply”. deeply means “to a great depth psychologically or emotionally”. deep is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdip/
1.adj.relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
“a deep breath”
2.adj.marked by depth of thinking
“deep thoughts”
3.adj.having great spatial extension or penetration downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or laterally or outward from a center; sometimes used in combination
“a deep well”
/ˈdipli/
1.adv.to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
“They felt the loss deeply”
2.adv.to a great depth; far down or in
“dived deeply”
| deep | deeply | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdip/ | /ˈdipli/ |
| Said | deep | DEE-plee |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 4 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun, adverb | adverb |
| Senses | 21 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | profoundly, intensely |
Full entry for deep · Full entry for deeply · More comparisons