TER-uh-blee
/ˈtɛɹəbli/
terribly is pronounced TER-uh-blee (/ˈtɛɹəbli/). Terribly is an adverb meaning in a terrible or very bad manner or degree. It often functions as an intensifier in informal speech (e.g., It went terribly wrong) and can convey strong emotion, disapproval, or emphasis. In formal contexts, it may be replaced with extremely or terribly so.
Terribly is an adverb meaning in a terrible or very bad manner or degree. It often functions as an intensifier in informal speech (e.g., It went terribly wrong) and can convey strong emotion, disapproval, or emphasis. In formal contexts, it may be replaced with extremely or terribly so.
"The project went terribly, and we had to start over."
"She was terribly disappointed by the news."
"That movie was terribly funny—almost unwatchable."
Usual pronunciation is /ˈtɛr.ə.bli/ (US/UK) with stress on the first syllable. The middle vowel is a schwa /ə/, and the final syllable is /bli/ with a light, clearly enunciated /l/ followed by /i/. For Australian speech you’ll often hear /ˈtɛər.ə.bli/ with a crisp, non-rhotic middle vowel; the final /li/ remains clear. Practice by isolating the first syllable, then smoothly linking to /ə/ and finishing with /bli/.
Common errors: 1) Stressed on the second syllable (ter-REL-ly) instead of TER-ri-blee; 2) Slurring the middle /ə/ so it sounds like /ɜː/ or /ɪ/; 3) Final /li/ misarticulated as /lɪ/ with a reduced vowel. Correction: keep primary stress on TER, produce a clear schwa /ə/ in the second syllable, and articulate the final /li/ with a light, forward tongue position for a crisp /l/ and high front vowel /i/.
US: /ˈtɛr.ə.bli/ with rhotic era and a compact final /bli/. UK: /ˈtɛə.rə.bleɪ/ or /ˈter.ə.li/ depending on region; more centralized vowel in the first syllable and a more open final /li/ or /bli/. AU: /ˈtɛɹ.ə.bli/ with a slightly longer, non-rhotic vowel and a bright, clipped final /bli/. Overall, US/UK/AU share stress on the first syllable, but vowel qualities and rhoticity vary, affecting the perceived vowel length and lip rounding.
Terribly blends a stressed open syllable, a weak central vowel, and a final cluster /bli/. The /ɹ/ in some dialects, the reduction of /ə/ to a near-schwa, and the rapid transition between syllables challenge learners. You’ll encounter difficulty with the initial vowel warmth and the smooth, unbroken linkage into the final /bli/. Training your mouth to land on TER with a clean /ə/ and precise /bli/ helps maintain natural flow.
In rapid casual speech, speakers often reduce to /ˈtɛr.bli/ or /ˈtɛr.li/ by merging the middle syllable into a quick schwa or eliding it slightly. While not standard in careful speech, reduction occurs in fast dialogue (It went terribly wrong) where you’ll hear a quicker sequence with the middle vowel compressed. Practicing with slow deliberate enunciation first helps prevent over-reduction in tense or important utterances.
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Terribly derives from the adjective terrible, formed from Old French terrible/tρηble (from Latin horribilis, ‘to cause terror’) plus -ly to form an adverb. The root terrible traces to Latin terrible, from terror ‘fear.’ The suffix -ly came into English from Old English -lice, used to form adverbs from adjectives. The sense evolved from “causing terror” to “in a manner that is very bad or dreadful,” with usage converging in the 16th–18th centuries as a general intensifier in both written and spoken English. Early uses often carried strong moral or emotional overtones, but in contemporary informal speech, terribly can express both criticism and strong affect without necessarily implying literal terror. First known written attestations in English appear in the late Middle Ages, with modern, frequent usage emerging in the 18th and 19th centuries as everyday speech adopted a looser, more emphatic style.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "terribly" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "terribly"
-ely sounds
-lly sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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