hardly

/ˈhɑːdli/

//ˈhɑːdli// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hardly" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hardly” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,834. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,834
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Barely, only just, almost not.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hardly · hardly · English

hardly · rank #2,834 · 10 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,834
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH haha

Nearest frequency peer: haha (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hardly”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hardly” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hardly vs harry
67% similar
hardly vs hardy
83% similar
hardly vs Harvey
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hardly
PropertyValue
Headwordhardly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈhɑːdli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,834
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hardly” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).hardlylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “haha” (#2,833), “hat” (#2,835), “Francisco” (#2,832). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around hardly (IPA /ˈhɑːdli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #2,834 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for hardly, with forms such as "ahrdly", "hadrly", and "harddly". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "harry", "hardy", "Harvey", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is hardly, spelled H-A-R-D-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Barely, only just, almost not.
  2. 2
    Certainly not; not at all.
  3. 3
    With difficulty.
  4. 4
    Harshly, severely; in a hard manner.
  5. 5
    Firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hardly appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. They hardly ever watch television.
  2. It's hardly possible he could lose the election.

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

barelyjustonly justscarcely

This word in other languages

apenas(Español)guère(Français)kaum(Deutsch)mal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrdly
  • hadrly
  • harddly
  • hardlly
  • hardlyy
  • hardyl
  • harldy
  • harrdly
  • hhardly
  • hradly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hardly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahrdly2hadrly2harddly1hardlly1hardlyy1hardyl2harldy2harrdly1
Edit distance from "hardly"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hardly"?
"hardly" is spelled H-A-R-D-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːdli/.
What does "hardly" mean?
As an adverb, "hardly" means: Barely, only just, almost not.
What words are commonly confused with "hardly"?
"hardly" is commonly confused with "harry", "hardy", "Harvey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hardly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hardly" is /ˈhɑːdli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hardly"?
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. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hardly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

height#2,836hidden#2,837deaths#2,827marine#2,843

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

invited10 variantscausing10 variantsprincess10 variantsprotein10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "hardly". Here's where to go from here.

  • "hardly" maps to 18 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "harry". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,834 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list