Flat adverbs and friends


Here is my personal "long list" of possible flat adverbs - for a "quick" overview.
More detailed information is available in the submenues.


I'd like to distinguish between "true", "optional" and "rare" flat adverbs as well as "split" situations with the adjective, the flat or the regular adverb having a different meaning.
Apart from that, I have marked "doom" situations where things are being difficult for various reasons.


bad [optional] – Though "bad" is not a flat adverb and should not be used as such in British English or written language, it is frequently used as a flat adverb in spoken language by Northern Americans (see also: "Talking bad").

bright [optional] – "bright" and "brightly" mean the same and are apparently both accepted.
mentioned in "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful" and "When adverbs fall flat"

cheap [optional] – It is possible to use "cheap" as a flat adverb in phrases such as "They were selling these items off cheap", but usually, "cheaply" will be the safe choice.
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

clean [optional] – Most of the time, "clean" and "cleanly" are identical in meaning, but in the idiomatic expression "to come clean" the word has got a somewhat different meaning than e.g. in the literal phrase "Come cleanly shaved."
[doom] - Certain phrasings seem to demand either the regular or the flat form, while it is hard to make out a rule, and there may be disagreement even among native speakers.
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"

clear [optional/split] – There are some cases when the flat form sounds more natural, especially when the assumed adverb might in fact be interpreted as an adjective. But usually, "clearly" is the safe choice.
In sentences like "You have clearly crossed a line" it is used figurately and means "doubtlessly".
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

close [split] – The flat form and the normal form have related but different meanings and are not interchangeable (e.g. "Come close and look at her closely!")
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"

current [rare] – "current" is not frequently used as a flat adverb, but there is the distinct phrasing "to be paid current".
mentioned on the LEO forum

daily [true] – "Exercise daily!" – no such thing as "daylily"
mentioned on the LEO forum

deep [optional] – In the distinct idiomatic usage "to go deep", the flat form is required. In most other sentences and in written language, the regular form seems the safer choice.
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful", also mentioned in Towson University: Adverbs

different [optional] – The flat form seems to be less accepted, making "differently" the safer choice.
[doom] - The choice between "different" or "differently" depends not only on the level of style but also on the context. (See also: Adverb vs. adjective)
mentioned in "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"

early [true] – "early" can serve as an adjective ("the early bird") or as a flat adverb "(she arrived early"). There is no such as "earlily", ever.
mentioned in Towson University: Adverbs

easy [optional/ split] – There are certain idiomatic phrases such as "Take it easy!" in which "easy" is used as a flat adverb. More often, it appears to be used as a regular adverb.
There is a second meaning of "easily" as in "doubtlessly", e.g. "Venice is easily the most beautiful city in Europe".
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"; examples taken from Cambridge Dictionary

even [rare?] – All examples I could find used the regular form (e.g. dividing or distributing something evenly). There is, of course, also a way of using even as an adverb, but then the meaning is completely unrelated.
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

fair [optional/ split] – Both the flat form and the regular form can be used to express the meaning "right, honest", though "fairly" is the preferred version for any formal context and for British English (#55-56).
There is also a second meaning of "fairly" as in "somewhat", e.g. in "it was fairly convincing". Here, the flat form is not possible.
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

far [true] – "You have gone too far" – no such thing as "farly". Obviously, it also has to be used as a flat adverb in compositions such as "far-fetched".
mentioned e.g. in "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful", "Flat adverbs are exceeding fine" and Wikipedia: Flat adverb

fast [true] – "Live fast, die young!" – no such thing as "fastly"
mentioned e.g. in "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful", "Flat adverbs are exceeding fine", Towson University: Adverbs and Wikipedia: Flat adverb

fine [split] – When using "fine" to appraise the (good) quality of something, it is a flat adverb: "I’m doing fine" (as in "I am alright"). When using it to describe the thin layers or stripes e.g. after cutting something, it is a regular adverb: The onion needs to be finely chopped/ finely sliced. Finally, in compositions such as "finely judged, finely calculated, finely tuned" it is also used as a regular adverb.
mentioned in LEO forum

flat [rare] – The flat and normal senses of this term are closely related but distinct: "I was turned down flat," but "I was flatly refused."
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"

freezing [true] – "freezing" as a flat adverb serves as the submodifier in "freezing cold".

friendly [doom] – For the non-native speaker, the safe choice is to avoid using "friendly" as an adverb - whether as "friendly" or as "friendlily".
see: "Friendly".

full [rare] – "You know full well what I mean" (#62) -- "Paid in full" (e.g. a movie from 2002)
While there is no source listing "full" as a possible flat adverb, there are at least those two fixed phrases in which "full" technically serves as a flat adverb and "fully" would simply be wrong.
Usually, however, the regular adverb is being used, e.g. in "fully loaded" or "I am not yet fully convinced".

great [split] – The flat form and the normal form have different meanings. The flat form can be used, especially in informal contexts, to express the meaning "very good, of high quality" (e.g.: "You did great").
In the regular form, "greatly" means "largely, massively, a lot": "It greatly differs from what I expected.”

hard [split] – The flat form and the normal form have different meanings: "It hit me hard" --- "I hardly hit it" (hardly as in "barely").
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"; also mentioned in Wikipedia: Flat adverb, Towson University: Adverbs and "When adverbs fall flat"

healthy [optional] – "We all know we should eat healthy!" --- "Children should be encouraged to eat healthily." Both versions are valid, and they mean the same. However, some people consider "healthily" the better or even the only acceptable choice.
mentioned in LEO forum; discussed in postings #48 and #55-56 of the same thread.

high [split] – The adverb of "high" can have different meanings, and the flat and regular versions are not interchangeable: "The plane flies high" (high altitude) --- "it is highly appreciated" (very much) --- "highly decorated" (to a great extend/ degree)
mentioned in LEO forum, Towson University: Adverbs and "When adverbs fall flat"

ill [true] – The adverb of "ill" appears mostly as a submodifier in compositions such as "ill-conceived, ill-informed, ill-advised".
They are usually listed as independent words in dictionaries, e.g. ill-treated in Merriam-Webster.

kind [optional] – While "kindly" is mostly seen as the only correct version, certain phrasings like "treat me kind" are widely used.
mentioned in "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful".

late [split] – The flat and the regular adverb have different meanings: "He came home late" (as in "late", e.g. "late at night") -- "Lately, I heard of strange things happening on the LEO forum" (as in "recently", "not long ago").
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

long [true] – "I can't wait that long – this takes too long." No such thing as "longly". Obviously, also in compositions the flat form has to be used: "the long-awaited book".
mentioned in "Flat adverbs are exceeding fine" and Towson University: Adverbs

loud [optional] – Both versions are possible, and it seems that the usage depends not only on style but also on the "metrics" of the sentence. A short sentence as in "Can you hear me?" - "Loud and clear!" will not be burdened with the regular form, while in other cases the regular form is used: "The four men laughed, joked and talked loudly."
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"; example taken from Cambridge Dictionary

– – low [true] – A low-paid worker. You didn't have to stoop so low. Creep low, fly high (children's book). Bow low.
[doom] - The word "lowly" is an adjective and means humble, simple, low in position and importance, or not respected. It is not the adverb of low! Strangely enough, it is mentioned as the adverb of low in Oxford Dictionaries but it was rejected by all native speakers who spoke out on it (Comments #29-35).
mentioned in Towson University: Adverbs

near [split] - The two different forms have related but different meanings: "The end is coming near" (as in "coming close") --- "We are nearly there" (as in "as good as there").
mentioned in Merriam Webster "When adverbs fall flat", Towson University: Adverbs and Wikipedia: Flat adverb

poor [split] - "To be poor" (having no or only little money/property) has a different meaning than e.g. "to perform poorly" (giving a performance of low quality).
[doom] - It is not clear whether "poor" in its original meaning can also be used as an adverb. We found one possible example, to live poor, as in "voluntarily living a simple life as if one were poor".

quick [optional] - This flat adverb is interchangeable with its normal equivalent: "Come quick" and "Come quickly" mean the same thing. This holds also true for the comparative degree: "more quickly" or "quicker" are both fine. (Here, an American native speaker suggests the flat form in an unrelated context.)
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat" and "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"

right [split] - "right" and "rightly" cover a variety of senses and are not interchangeable.
Possible ways of using "right" are shown in the following examples: "Go right" (as in "the opposite of left") --- "Do right" (as in "Do what is correct/ morally right") --- "Stay right there" (as in "exactly") --- "He aimed right for the target" (as in "precisely, directly").
In contrast, "rightly" means approximately "legitimately, for a good reason": "You are rightly upset."
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"; also mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

safe [optional] - As is the case with "slow", there was (or still is) a street sign saying "Drive safe" which caused discussion if the flat adverb was proper grammar. Though both versions exist and are correct, for the non-native speaker, "safely" seems to be the safe choice, as "safe" is rejected/ dubbed "informal" by some native speakers.
mentioned in Merriam Webster and "When adverbs fall flat"

sharp [optional] - "sharp" and its normal form are interchangeable ("Dress sharp" or "Dress sharply"), but there is also a distinct flat-form meaning: "Show up at eight o'clock sharp."
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"; also mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

slow [optional] - Slow and slowly are interchangeable: “Drive slow” and “Drive slowly” mean the same thing. However, as so often, the flat form is considered "informal" or "mainly American" by many native speakers. (see also: #55-56)
taken from "Flat adverbs are flat-out useful"; also mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

smart [split] - "smart" can have several different meanings: intelligent, stylish, or quick. The examples found for "smartly" on the internet often feature somebody dressed smartly or the meaning "quick": "Prices rose smartly this afternoon." (based on Cambridge Dictionary). I have not found an example with "smartly" meanining "cleverly". However, in the phrase "Work smarter, not harder" or "Work smart, not hard", where "smart" means "clever", it is indeed used as a flat adverb.

soft [rare] - "soft" is listed as possible flat adverb, but seems to be mostly used in the regular form: "talk softly" (talk in a low voice), "the wind blew softly" (as in "gently"), "the room was softly lit" (dimly lit)
In the LEO forum, "soft" as an adverb is not supported, apart from the regional usage "don't talk soft" as in "don't say such silly things" mentioned by a British native speaker.
mentioned in "Flat adverbs are exceeding fine"

soon [true] - This flat adverb has no "-ly" equivalent: "Come again soon." It also works for the compararive degree as can be seen here.
taken from "When adverbs fall flat"

sure [optional] - Both "sure" and "surely" can be used as an adverb roughly meaning "certainly". "Sure" as an adverb is considerd "North American informal" by Oxford dictionaries: "Texas sure was a great place to grow up" - "Are you serious?" "Sure."
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"

straight [true] - "Go straight towards the building!" No such thing as "straightly".
mentioned in Wikipedia: Flat adverb

tight [optional] - Adverbs like hard, near, tight, and wrong generally can only follow their verbs and can often not modify anything other than a verb. Some of them have been fossilized in idioms, as well, such as sit tight. Sleep tight. The British pop band East-17 had a song called “Hold my body tight.” --- Regular form: Her eyes were tightly closed. He held on tightly to her arm. Tightly knit.
taken from "When adverbs fall flat"; some examples from Oxford Dictionaries

tough [true] - This adverb is also without a normal version: "Hang tough."
taken from "When adverbs fall flat"; also mentioned in Wikipedia: Flat adverb

very [split] - The adjective very means something like "particular". The adverb very, on the other hand, means approximately "extremely".
from: Huddlestone's and Pullum's Student's Introduction to English Grammar

well [split] - The adjective well means "in good health", while the adverb means "in a good way" or "to a good standard."
from: Huddlestone's and Pullum's Student's Introduction to English Grammar

weird [optional] - "To act really weird" --- I don't think I have heard of "acting weirdly" so far, but Oxford Dictionaries gives the example "everyone has been acting weirdly", so both versions seem to be possible. In case of using the adverb as a submodifier (as in "I feel weirdly excited"), the regular form is a must.

wrong [split] - Both versions exist, and they have distinct meanings that are contrary to the particular meanings of "right" and "rightly": "He didn't do wrong." ("incorrect, morally wrong") --- "He has wrongly been accused" ("illegetimately, for no good reason").
mentioned in "When adverbs fall flat"