Firstly, Secondly or First, Second? Which is correct?

You can use either First or Firstly(or Second, Secondly) to number your points. “First” and “second” are more common than “firstly” and “secondly”.  

First, I would like to thank everyone for coming today.

Second, I would like to congratulate the bride and groom. 

First/Second

First, Second, Third, Fourth, etc is the most common way to number your points when you are speaking or writing in English.

We number points in this way when we want to put some order to what we say or write. Number points like this is more common in essays and not common in informal speech.  

Firstly/Secondly 

Firstly/Secondly/Thirdly is also generally accepted as correct but be careful as many people will criticize you for using these forms as being overly formal. 

If you do decide to use firstly and secondly, make sure not to mix first, second with firstly, secondly. 

• Author
• Recent Posts

Conor

Conor is the main writer here at One Minute English and was an English teacher for 10 years. He is interested in helping people with their English skills and learning about using A.I tools at work.

Latest posts by Conor (see all)

• “How Was Your Weekend?” Alternative Ways to Improve Your Conversations - February 19, 2024
• On Monday or Monday? What’s the Difference? - December 1, 2023
• 20 Alternative Ways to say “Thanks for the Heads Up”(+ Meaning) - November 30, 2023