“Hardly Ever” vs. “Rarely”: What’s the Difference?
Jun 8, 2023
Engram
The difference between “hardly ever” and “rarely”
- "Hardly ever" implies an almost complete absence or near impossibility of something occurring, while "rarely" denotes a lower frequency but still within the realm of possibility.
- "Hardly ever" is a stronger and more emphatic phrase than "rarely".
- The two words can be used interchangeably in some contexts, but "hardly ever" is generally considered more extreme in its connotation.
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What is the definition of “hardly ever” and “rarely”?
Hardly ever
- This phrase means that something happens very infrequently or almost never occurs.
- It expresses an extreme degree of rarity or low frequency.
- It implies a stronger sense of emphasis than "rarely".
Rarely
- This word means that something occurs infrequently or seldom happens.
- It indicates a lower degree of frequency than "often" or "sometimes".
- It expresses a neutral or mild degree of rarity.
Which is the more popular variant on the Internet?
“Rarely” is the more popular variant on the web.
Hardly ever
24,600,000 results on the web
Examples
- I hardly ever eat spicy food.
- He hardly ever watches TV during the week.
- They hardly ever go out to restaurants.
More popular
Rarely
760,000,000 results on the web
Examples
- Rarely do I have time to read books nowadays.
- We rarely see each other, but when we do, it's always memorable.
- She rarely complains about anything, she's very easy-going.
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