Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

badly

/ˈbæd.li/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.44 in modern English

Syllables: bad-ly
IPA: /ˈbæd.li/

11

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a bad manner.

adv

Very much; to a great degree.

adj

Example Sentences

"Things are going badly for her: she did badly in her exams owing to a badly designed studying schedule."
"Don't think badly of me: give me the benefit of the doubt."
"I feel badly about the accident because it was entirely our fault."
"You can eat badly and feel crapola or eat healthily and feel great. The choice is yours..."
"I want it so badly."
"Look at these split ends! You badly need a haircut!"

Etymology

From Middle English badly, baddely, baddeliche, equivalent to bad + -ly.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: badly

Inflected Forms

worse (comparative) worst (superlative) more badly (comparative) most badly (superlative)

Phrases

badly off badly-off badly packed kebab

Synonyms

lousily meagerly poorly shoddily acutely very much awfully almighty badly impossibly beyond damn

Antonyms

well

Rhymes With

sadly bradley gladly hadley madly radley adley padley badley spradley stradley shadley

Questions

How do you pronounce badly?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbæd.li/.
What does badly mean?: In a bad manner.
Where does badly come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce badly

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “badly”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbæd.li/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “badly”.
Repeat and practice — Say “badly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.