SAWR-lee
/ˈsɔɹli/
sorely is pronounced SAWR-lee (/ˈsɔɹli/). Sorely is an adverb meaning to a severe or extreme degree, or with great distress or longing. It conveys intensity or strong regret, often in formal or literary contexts, and can modify adjectives, verbs, or past participles. The word emphasizes depth of feeling or need, rather than frequency or mere degree.
Sorely is an adverb meaning to a severe or extreme degree, or with great distress or longing. It conveys intensity or strong regret, often in formal or literary contexts, and can modify adjectives, verbs, or past participles. The word emphasizes depth of feeling or need, rather than frequency or mere degree.
"- She was sorely disappointed by the outcome."
"- The service was sorely lacking in attention and care."
"- He is sorely missed by his family and friends."
Break it into two syllables: SORE-ly. The primary stress is on the first syllable: /ˈsɔːr.li/. Start with an open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔː/ as in 'sore', then a light /r/ with a touch of rhoticity, and finish with a clear /li/ where the /l/ is light and the /i/ is a short, brisk vowel. In US/UK/AU, this yields /ˈsɔːrli/ or /ˈsɔːrli/. For precise reference, listen to native speakers on Pronounce or Forvo saying 'sorely'.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable; ensure primary stress remains on SORE. (2) Turning /ɔː/ into a flat /ɑ/ or short /ɔ/; keep the long back rounded vowel. (3) Overly pronouncing the /l/ as a dark, heavy l instead of a light, liquid L before the /i/; aim for a light, quick L. Correct by practicing /ˈsɔːr.li/ with careful vowel length and a concise /l/ release. Listen to native pronunciations to internalize rhythm.
US: /ˈsɔːrli/ with rhotic /r/; the /ɔː/ tends to be a long, rounded vowel. UK: /ˈsɔː.li/ or /ˈsɔːːli/ with a similarly long /ɔː/ and less rhoticity in some non-rhotic varieties, but /r/ is often not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. AU: /ˈsɔːli/ with a flat /i/ ending and smooth /ɔː/; less pronounced rhoticity than US. The main differences come from rhoticity and vowel quality; US tends to maintain a clearer /r/ and longer /ɔː/; UK can have a slightly clipped final syllable; AU tends to a uniform /ɔːli/ without strong r-coloring in some contexts.
Because the first syllable houses a tense /ɔː/ vowel and a delicate /r/ consonant sequence that can easily be over- or under-articulated in fluent speech. The second syllable features a light /l/ followed by a short /i/, which can lead to a mis-timed syllable boundary or vowel reduction in rapid talk. Mastery requires balancing vowel length, maintaining a crisp /r/ (or a rhotic vowel), and keeping the /l/ clear without pulling the tongue into a heavy alveolar contact.
Focus on the boundary between the first and second syllables: ensure the /r/ does not bleed into the following /l/ and that the /i/ is not lengthened into a separate vowel. Practice with the two-syllable rhythm /ˈsɔːr.li/ and anchor the syllable boundary by lightly tapping the /r/ and immediately releasing into a quick /l/ before the /i/. This yields a clean, natural sorely in fluent speech.
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Sorely comes from the Old English word sarian, meaning to cause pain or injury, which evolved into the sense of distress or severity in Middle English. Over time, the adverbial suffix -ly attached to sore, historically tied to sore (pain, distress) rather than the modern adjective meaning painful. The root sar- or sor- is linked to sorrow and suffering across Germanic languages, with cognates in Old Norse and High German reinforcing the semantic field of distress. By the Early Modern English period, sorely meant “in a manner that causes or expresses great distress or severity” and broadened to describe intensity of anything, not just pain. The pronunciation shift toward a clear /ɔːr/ or /ɔr/ in many dialects reinforced the adverbial form’s emphasis, while retaining its literary flavor in contemporary use. First known uses appear in Middle English medical and moral texts, then increasingly in poetry and prose from the 16th century onward, culminating in its current common usage in both formal and conversational registers.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "sorely" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "sorely"
-ily sounds
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