hardly
/ˈhɑɹdli/adverb, interjection
hardly is spelled H-A-R-D-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, hardly means “Barely, only just, almost not” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hardly?
| Letters | 6: H-A-R-D-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 34 times per million words; the 2,831st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hardly?
Hardly appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hardly?
- UK /ˈhɑːdli/
- US /ˈhɑɹdli/
Hardly has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hardly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hardly
- hardlier comparative
- more hardly comparative
- hardliest superlative
- most hardly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hardly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Barely, only just, almost not.
They hardly ever watch television.
- 2
Certainly not; not at all.
I hardly think they'll come in this bad weather!
- 3
archaicWith difficulty.
And what gentle flame soever doth warme the heart of young virgins, yet are they hardly drawne to leave and forgoe their mothers, to betake them to their husbands […].
- 4
datedHarshly, severely; in a hard manner.
- 5
obsoleteFirmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion.
Let him hardly be possest with an honest curiositie to search out the nature and causes of all things […].
interjection
- 1
Not really.
I think the Beatles are a really overrated band. ― Hardly!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hardly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | guère, à peine , dur, durement |
| German | kaum , hart, rau |
| Portuguese | quase não, mal , severamente |
| Spanish | apenas, a duras penas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hardly come from?
From Middle English hardely, hardliche, from Old English heardlīċe (“boldly; hardily; without ease; in a way that causes pain; not easily; only by degrees”), equivalent to hard + -ly. Compare Dutch hardelijk, German härtlich.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).