First vs. Firstly: When to Use Each One
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
First vs. Firstly: When to Use Each One
Perhaps you have seen the words first and firstly in sentences and wondered which one is correct—or if firstly is even a real word. If so, today’s post can help.
First Things Firstly
As a starting point, let’s note that both first and firstly are technically correct in a grammatical sense. That means you can use either one without being wrong. Either word falls under the category of “enumeration,” which involves using numbered lists to make a point or explanation. If you were showing a friend how to bake a cake and said something such as “first, you pour in the flour, and second, you add the eggs,” you would be using enumeration.
With that understood, you could use firstly instead of first. As we mentioned, it is grammatically correct.
We do however recommend that you don’t make a habit of it. Here are some good reasons why:
Firstly is a longer word with an extra syllable. Shorter is often better in writing, speaking, and reading.
Firstly is an uncommon word. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, using it could make it seem as if you are trying to hide a point or “dress up” an otherwise lacking idea. In other words, it’s distracting.
Because firstly isn’t common in usage, some teachers, professors, and employers may consider it to be incorrect even when it isn’t. So, it could hurt your grades or your ability to communicate.
Firstly is more awkward to say out loud than first is. Whether it’s verbal or written, good communication calls on us to be as clear and simple as possible.
To be consistent, we would need to follow firstly with secondly, thirdly, fourthly, and so on. That can get cumbersome. Such writing or speaking might not be grammatically wrong, but it isn’t always going to help us win a reader’s or listener’s attention.
The First and Last Line on Firstly
If you wish to continue writing and saying firstly, you won’t be defying grammatical principles. But don’t be surprised if other people act as if you are. It’s a word most native English speakers don’t use, and many might assume it implies a lesser understanding of the language.
Unless you have a specific reason to use firstly, secondly, thirdly, and so on, it’s better to stick with the shorter, simpler, and more commonly accepted alternatives first, second, and third.
Looking to Sharpen Your Grammar?
Our mission is to improve daily communication—as well as grades and careers—with one good grammar tip at a time. If you would like to learn more, visit our blog again soon. Also feel free to leave us a comment or question below!
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I have used the term first off. Is this grammatically correct?
The term “first off” is grammatically correct; however, we would not recommend using it in formal writing.
The usage has always seemed improper to me, and I’m stunned to learn it actually isn’t!
Despite their similarity as adverbs, “first” and “firstly” are hardly interchangeable in all situations. In the first place, one would not say, “I firstly noticed it yesterday.” One might ask, “First off, what are you doing in my home?” or “Firstly, I hope you have insurance.” In the end, “first” is the better choice if you want to avoid criticism from peers and stern looks from professors.
Moral of story- Don’t judge alternate adverb usage as a negative.
I thought we were asking if firstly is ok to use as the first word in a sentence.
As the post states, “If you wish to continue writing and saying firstly, you won’t be defying grammatical principles. But don’t be surprised if other people act as if you are. It’s a word most native English speakers don’t use, and many might assume it implies a lesser understanding of the language. Unless you have a specific reason to use firstly, secondly, thirdly, and so on, it’s better to stick with the shorter, simpler, and more commonly accepted alternatives first, second, and third.”
I’m a native speaker and plenty of people around me use “firstly.” I’ve also read it a lot.To me it makes sense to add “ly,” which is the adverb marker in English. The prejudice against “firstly” seems to be a US phenomenon. I’m a university professor (US meaning) and if I were marking, my natural instinct would be to consider “firstly” more correct. But I would not deduct any marks for a usage where the two are interchangeable (i.e. I would not mark down the US form).
There is a meaning difference between “I first noticed the new equipment yesterday” and “Firstly, I noticed the new equipment yesterday.” In the first case, you are stating the first time something happened. In the second, you are beginning an ordered list (series).
I think you could dig a bit deeper on this one. Since hundreds of millions of native and non-native speakers use Commonwealth Englishes, I don’t think everything should be judged from the point of view of US preferences.
We’re delighted to have readers in many countries. We often remind our readers that this website and The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation represent American English rules and guidelines. You may find our multi-part review of American and British English of interest. We may also explore other differences among English dialects in future newsletters.
While enumerating points, first or firstly should have equal standing. Rather we should prefer firstly since this is the only usage it has got whilst first is more versatile. Only thing to be careful about is if we prefer firstly, it should be followed by secondly, thirdly etc to keep the rhyme and logic intact.
As the post indicates, firstly is a word most native English speakers don’t use, and many might assume it implies a lesser understanding of the language.
I love the constructive conversation everyone is having about this topic, and I’ve never been so interested in English grammar!
I just wrote to a client using “firstly,” and immediately after sending the message, I had a little panic as I thought I may have made a grammatical error. That’s when I stumbled upon this post/website. This is fascinating! And as an American, I find it interesting that I chose to use the less common of the two words, which leads me to wonder: does the area in America matter? I’m from Ohio, and I think it’s quite common for people to say “firstly” in spoken and written language. I’m curious where everyone is from and which of the two they prefer to use.
Great topic! Thank you for the post.
I believe Steve is correct. As a native English speaker and professional writer, I would agree that there are instances when the terms can be interchangeable. But there are times when they are not. For example, if you say that someone did two things and you want to list them, you could say “Fred focused on firstly, xyz and secondly, zyx” – there is less connotation of time here. But if you use “first” and “second,” it could imply more of a time sequence (i.e. Fred focused on, first xyz and second zyx) which could be misleading.