How do you pronounce barely?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɛɹ.li/.

Where does barely come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

barely

/ˈbɛɹ.li/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.49 in modern English

Syllables: bare-ly
IPA: /ˈbɛɹ.li/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

By a small margin.

adv

Almost not at all.

adv

Recently, just now.

adv

Merely.

Archaic

adv

Openly, clearly, plainly.

Example Sentences

"I barely completed my homework. However, I got a score of 5 for it."
"It becomes, therefore, no inconsiderable part of science barely to know the different operations of mind,"
"1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie ‘It is barely possible you may hear of a ghost, a Phantom of the Opera!’"
"As our train to Paris dashed through the labyrynthine flyovers at Porchefontaine, barely a mile from Versailles, the 75 m.p.h. limit was already almost attained."
"The plane is so far away now I can barely see it."
"Yes, it is barely visible."

Etymology

From Middle English baarly, bareliche, barely, barly, from Old English bærlīċe, equivalent to bare + -ly. Compare Danish bare (“only, just”), Norwegian bare (“only, just”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: baarly, bærlīċe
Suffix: bare

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɛɹ.li/
British English: /ˈbɛə.li/

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

more barely (comparative) most barely (superlative)

Synonyms

hardly scarcely just only just scarce

Rhymes With

fairly rarely unfairly squarely fairley fairlie wehrli