poorly
/ˈpʊɹ.li/adverb, adjective
poorly is spelled P-O-O-R-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 6,047th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, poorly means “In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in poorly?
| Letters | 6: P-O-O-R-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 6,047th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is poorly?
Poorly appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 6,047th 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 poorly?
- UK /ˈpʊə.li/
- UK /ˈpɔː.li/
- US /ˈpʊɹ.li/
Poorly 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-poorly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with poorly?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as poorly from its last stressed vowel (/ʊɹli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of poorly
- more poorly comparative
- poorlier comparative, rare
- most poorly superlative
- poorliest rare, superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does poorly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
to live poorly
- 2
With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage.
to do poorly in business
- 3
Meanly; without spirit.
- 4
Without skill or merit.
He plays tennis poorly.
- 5
In a negative manner; with disapproval; unfavorably.
I think poorly of them.
adjective
- 1
UKIll, unwell, sick.
to report one's child poorly
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does poorly come from?
From Middle English poorly, pouerly, poreliche, poureliche, pouerliche, equivalent to poor + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).