Hard means with a lot of effort or force, while hardly means almost not. Their meanings are nearly opposite: I work hard means I work a lot, and I hardly work means I almost don't work.
hard or hardly — can you pick the right one?
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work/study/try + hard; rain + hard; hardly + verb; can hardly + verb; hardly any + noun; hardly ever
- She studied hard all summer and passed the exam at the first attempt.
- I hardly slept on the night train because of the noise.
- There was hardly any milk left, so I drank my coffee black.
What changed
First versionMy new colleague works very hardly and often stays late.
RevisionMy new colleague works very hard and often stays late.
Many adverbs end in -ly, so it seems that hard should become hardly. But the adverb meaning with effort has the same form as the adjective: work hard. Works hardly means almost doesn't work, which says the opposite about a hard-working colleague.
Hardly already has a negative meaning, so you don't need a second negative: I can hardly hear you, not I can't hardly hear you. Hardly often goes with any and ever: hardly any money means almost no money, and hardly ever means almost never.
Your turn
The music next door was so loud that I could ___ hear the TV.
Show the answer
hardly — The loud music was drowning out the TV, so it was almost impossible to hear: could hardly hear. Hard means with effort or force and goes after the verb, and could hard hear is not English.
Describe a busy week at work or in your studies. Say what you worked hard on and what you hardly had time for.
Last week I worked hard on a big presentation for a client and hardly saw my family.
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