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Grammar, compared

Hardly vs rarely

Hardly means almost not at all, close to zero. Rarely means not often, but still sometimes.

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The short answer

Hardly / Rarely
HardlyRarely
I hardly know him. (almost not at all)I rarely see him. (not often, but it happens)
There's hardly any coffee left. (almost none)We rarely run out of coffee. (it doesn't happen often)
I can hardly hear you. (barely, almost not)She rarely calls me. (infrequently, but she does)

How each one works

Hardly and rarely compared
PointHardlyRarely
MeaningAlmost not at all, barelyNot often, infrequently
Type of wordDegree adverb (how much)Frequency adverb (how often)
ExampleI hardly slept last night.I rarely sleep less than seven hours.
Common pairshardly any, hardly ever, can hardlyrarely, hardly ever (frequency use)

Watch out if you speak Spanish

  • Casi no can become hardly (almost not at all, a degree) or rarely (a frequency), so check whether you mean amount or how often.
  • Hardly ever is a fixed phrase meaning almost never, a frequency use of hardly: I hardly ever go to the gym.
  • Hardly already has a negative meaning, so avoid a second negative: I hardly know anyone, not I don't hardly know anyone.
  • Rarely at the start of a sentence needs inverted word order in formal writing: rarely do I agree with that.

Practice

Grammar practice

Choose or type the answer for each sentence, then check.

  1. 1. I any money left this month.
  2. 2. She misses a deadline.
  3. 3. I could hear the announcement.
  4. 4. We ever eat out during the week.
  5. 5. do you see such dedication.
  6. 6. There's

    any time left before the meeting.
  7. 7. He

    complains, even when things go wrong.
  8. 8. I can

    believe it.

0 of 8 checked

Questions

Is I don't hardly know correct?
No. Hardly is already negative, so adding don't creates a double negative. Say I hardly know, without don't.
What does hardly ever mean?
Almost never, a frequency expression: I hardly ever watch TV means I almost never watch TV.

Keep going

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Book a trial class. She writes back with times in Buenos Aires time.

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