barely none

USAGE SUMMARY

"barely none" is not a grammatically correct phrase in written English.
The word "none" means "not any," so adding the word "barely" (which means "hardly" or "just barely") creates a conflicting meaning. You can use either "barely" or "none" in a sentence, but not both together. Here are a few examples of how to use "barely" and "none" correctly: - "I barely have any homework to do tonight." This means that the speaker has very little homework. - "I have absolutely none of my homework done." This means that the speaker has completed none of their homework. - "I have barely any homework done." This means that the speaker has only completed a small portion of their homework.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Second, Spain is characterized by a highly dual labor market consisting of (potentially less productive) insiders who enjoy a high degree of employment protection, and outsiders who have barely none.

SERIEs

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

In fact, those fluctuations occurred during the most stable period of home-court advantage in the league's history: two decades in which a five-year moving average of the home victory rate barely budged.None of this means that the "true" home-court edge is set in stone, or that all deviations from the prior norm will regress back to the established mean.

The Economist

Other epithelial-derived tumours had barely or none detectable ARMS, which included 13 breast cancers (6 ductal, 2 lobular, 3 medullary, 1 papillary, and 1 metaplastic carcinoma), 12 lung cancers (5 squamous cell carcinoma and 7 adenocarcinoma), 6 gastric adenocarcinoma, 7 colon adenocarcinoma, 5 pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and 5 hepatocellular carcinoma (Supplementary Figures S1B F).

British Journal of Cancer

The items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 'rarely or none of the time to 3 'most or all of the time'.

BMC Geriatrics

Participants could answer on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 = 'rarely or none of the time' to 3 = 'Most or all of the time'.

AIDS and Behavior

The CES-D scale is consisted of 20 items, and each item contains four options that describe how often the respondents had each feeling in the past week, ranging from 0 'rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)' to 3 'most or all of the time (5 to 7 days)'.

BMC Psychiatry

It consists of 20 items with 4 possible options that describe the frequency of respondents' feelings in the past week ranging from 0 'rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)' to 3 'most or all of the time (5 to 7 days)'.

BMC Psychiatry

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) [ 44] is a self-administered 20-item questionnaire that measures the subject's state on a scale of 0 ('rarely or none of the time') to 3 ('most or all of the time') with regard to mood and vegetative motor functions during the preceding week.

Arthritis Research and Therapy

Her pedestal is barely visible, and none of her features can be made out in detail.

The New York Times - Arts

Donald follows barely any politicians – none of the Republicans who routinely go out to bat for him (Giuliani, Chris Christie): except Mike Pence, Indiana Governor and now vice-president elect, whose tweets, breathy and banal, read like a bot-generated Enid Blyton character.

The Guardian

Those who can afford it choose among scores of cab drivers, who compete for and delegate fares amongst themselves.In this fashion, I am able to negotiate between late-model, air-conditioned Toyotas, rickety yellow cabs, and barely operational Peugeots, none of which provide seatbelts.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "barely none" in formal writing. Opt for grammatically correct alternatives such as "almost none" or "hardly any" to ensure clarity and professionalism.

Common error

The phrase "barely none" combines "barely" (meaning scarcely) with "none" (meaning not any), creating a double negative. To avoid this, choose either "barely any" or "almost none" for a clearer and grammatically sound sentence.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barely none" functions as an attempt to express a minimal quantity or absence. However, Ludwig AI states that this phrase is grammatically incorrect. This is due to the combination of "barely" and "none", resulting in a double negative. Although present in a few sources, it's not considered standard usage.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

34%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "barely none" is an attempt to express a very small quantity or near absence, but it's grammatically incorrect due to being a double negative. According to Ludwig AI, it is ungrammatical. While it might appear in some contexts, especially informal ones, it's best to avoid it in formal writing. Instead, opt for clearer and grammatically sound alternatives like "almost none", "hardly any", or "scarcely any" to ensure effective communication and maintain a professional tone. Using correct grammar enhances the credibility and clarity of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

almost none

Emphasizes near absence but allows for a tiny quantity.

hardly any

Highlights the scarcity of something.

virtually none

Indicates something is so close to zero that it can be disregarded.

scarcely any

Stresses the lack of something available.

practically none

Implies that something is so close to zero that it may as well be none.

next to none

Expresses that the quantity is extremely small.

very little

Highlights a small amount in a simpler manner.

almost nothing

Focuses on the lack of substance or presence.

a negligible amount

Indicates that the amount is so small it's not worth considering.

a drop in the bucket

Implies the quantity is insignificant compared to what's needed or expected.

FAQs

Is "barely none" grammatically correct?

No, "barely none" is not grammatically correct. The phrase combines two negatives, which creates confusion. Use "almost none" or "hardly any" instead.

What does "barely none" mean?

Although grammatically incorrect, "barely none" attempts to express that there is very little or almost nothing of something. It's better to use phrases like "scarcely any" or "virtually none" to convey this meaning clearly.

How can I use a similar expression to "barely none" in a sentence?

Instead of "barely none", try "There is "almost nothing" left" or "We have "hardly any" supplies". These alternatives are grammatically correct and convey the intended meaning effectively.

Which is the correct phrase, "barely none" or "barely any"?

"Barely any" is the correct phrase. "Barely none" is a double negative and should be avoided. For example, "I have barely any time to spare" is correct, whereas "I have barely none time to spare" is incorrect.