POOR-lee
/ˈpuɹli/
poorly is pronounced POOR-lee (/ˈpuɹli/). Poorly is an adverb meaning in a weak, inadequate, or defective manner; it can also describe poor quality or poor health. In everyday use it often conveys substandard performance or condition, sometimes with a mildly negative or humorous undertone. The word centers on the contrast between things done well and done poorly, and it commonly accompanies verbs like perform, attempt, or adapt.
Poorly is an adverb meaning in a weak, inadequate, or defective manner; it can also describe poor quality or poor health. In everyday use it often conveys substandard performance or condition, sometimes with a mildly negative or humorous undertone. The word centers on the contrast between things done well and done poorly, and it commonly accompanies verbs like perform, attempt, or adapt.
"She played the piano poorly, missing several notes."
"The project was poorly executed and failed to meet the requirements."
"He performed poorly on the exam despite studying hard."
US/UK/AU IPA: /ˈpɔːr.li/ (US: /ˈpɔɹli/ with rhotic /ɹ/; UK/AU often /ˈpɔː.li/). Start with an open back rounded /ɔː/ as in 'or', then a light /r/ before the second syllable, and finish with a clear /li/ or a reduced /lɪ/ depending on speed. Emphasize the first syllable with a steady, even onset, then a quick, unstressed second syllable. Mouth: lips rounded for /ɔː/, tongue bunched low-mid; for /r/ keep tongue away from the teeth but not retracted; for /li/ the tip of the tongue lightly touches the alveolar ridge while the body relaxes.
Common errors include reducing the first vowel to a lax /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ in American speech, and lengthening the second syllable too much. Another frequent mistake is dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, yielding /poː.li/ instead of /ˈpɔːr.li/. To correct: ensure the /ɔː/ vowel is full and rounded, release a crisp /r/ if you’re rhotic, and keep the second syllable short and unstressed with a light /l/ followed by a brief schwa or /i/. Practice with minimal pairs and listening for the subtle steady rhythm between syllables.
In US rhotic varieties, /r/ is pronounced, so /ˈpɔɹli/. In many UK accents, /r/ is not pronounced before a consonant, yielding /ˈpɔː.li/; in some Northern or Scottish varieties you may hear a shorter /ɔː/ with a softer /l/. Australian English typically aligns closer to rhotic norms with /ˈpɔː.li/ or /ˈpɔːɹli/ depending on speaker. Vowel quality is also locale-dependent: US often a stronger /ɔ/; UK tends toward a pure /ɔː/; AU tends toward a broad /ɔː/ with some influence from schwa in fast speech.
The challenge lies in balancing the rounded back vowel /ɔː/ with the alveolar /r/ transition and the short, unstressed second syllable /li/. In quick speech you may reduce to /ˈpɔlɪ/ or misplace the /r/; the lack of a strong secondary stress on the second syllable makes it easy to flatten. Maintaining the crisp /li/ without tensing the jaw helps clarity. Practice saying the word slowly, then gradually speed up while keeping the mouth positions firm and the air flow steady.
A unique focus is the /ɔː/ quality before /r/ in rhotic speakers; it should not bleed into a lax /o/ or an /ɒ/ in US/UK variants. Many learners over-articulate the /r/ or introduce an extra vowel between the /ɔː/ and /r/; aim for a clean, immediate /r/ onset with the second syllable starting promptly after the /r/. Visual cues: lips rounded for /ɔː/ and a quick tongue-tip curl for /ɹ/ (nearly touching the alveolar ridge), then a light, quick /l/.
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Poorly derives from the adjective poor, augmenting the sense of deficiency or lack of quality. The origin lies in Old English pūr (poor, needy) with the comparative suffix -līe/-lē. Around the Middle Ages, the adverbial form developed to describe actions done in a deficient manner, not simply in a state of poverty. By early modern English, poorly was used both for health-related states (“feeble, unwell”) and for performance quality (“done in a poor way”). The semantic shift consolidated in the 16th–18th centuries as literacy and standardized grammar influenced usage. The core idea remained: substandard degree or health; the nuance ranges from mild deficiency to clear incapacity. First known written uses appear in Middle English medical and moral contexts, but the adverbial sense of lacking adequacy is attested across literary and legal texts by the early modern period, aligning with the broader evolution of -ly adverbs in English. Today, poorly is a flexible, widely used term across formal and informal registers, frequently modifying verbs, adjectives, and nouns to signal deficiency or illness.
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Words that rhyme with "poorly"
-rly sounds
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