Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

awfully

/ˈɔ.f(ə.)li/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables: aw-ful-ly
IPA: /ˈɔ.f(ə.)li/

16

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Badly, terribly.

adv

Very; exceedingly; extremely; excessively.

adv

In a manner inspiring awe.

Archaic

adv

Archaic

adv

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"She led after the swimming and cycling, but ran awfully and came in fourth."
"It was wondrous. 'I'm awfully glad I came now,' his thought ran; 'I'm managing it rather well.'"
"It’s awfully considerate of you to think of me here / And I’m most obliged to you for making it clear that I’m not here"
"I returned to the inn yard, and, impressed by my remembrance of the face, looked awfully around for it. It was not there."

Etymology

Etymology tree English awful Middle English -ly English -ly English awfully From awful + -ly.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɔ.f(ə.)li/
British English: /ˈɔː.fʊ.li/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more awfully (comparative) most awfully (superlative)

Synonyms

very extremely terribly acutely awfully almighty badly impossibly beyond damn drastically exceedingly

Questions

How do you pronounce awfully?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɔ.f(ə.)li/.
What does awfully mean?: Badly, terribly.
Where does awfully come from?: Etymology tree English awful Middle English -ly English -ly English awfully From awful + -ly.

How to pronounce awfully

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