When to Use Hardly or Scarcely?

Hardly and scarcely meaning 'almost not at all'
Hardly and scarcely can mean 'almost not at all' or 'only just'. Hardly is much more common than scarcely, and scarcely is more formal: Jen was so tired. She could scarcely keep her eyes open.

What is the difference between hardly scarcely and barely?

Barely, hardly, and scarcely are after interchangeable, because in many cases they are synonyms. Other ways you can say it would be 'by the narrowest if margins', 'narrowly', or 'by a hairs breadth'. Rarely and seldom are also synonyms, and hardly can often be used in their place as well. It means 'not often'.

What is the difference between scarcely and rarely?

As adverbs the difference between scarcely and rarely

is that scarcely is (modal) probably not while rarely is not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.

Alexander Ross

Alexander Ross

Gaming, Esports & Interactive Media Writer

Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.