hardly no

USAGE SUMMARY

"hardly no" is not correct in written English.
"Hardly any" is the correct form and is used to indicate that there is a very small amount or number of something. Example: We had hardly any food left in the pantry.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

16 human-written examples

We were actually on time and no, well, hardly no, raised voices - even when Charlie Kennedy did finally decide to fall on his sword late in the afternoon.

The Guardian

Today is very strange, and is, you know, is very special part, my opinion, of the history that for the last few years the top players almost never lost hardly, no?" "But happens in everybody.

The New York Times

"The initial plan on this project was to import the turbines and assemble them here, and that would have meant hardly no jobs for us," he said in a conference call with reporters.

The New York Times

Despite the fact that inverted pyramid structures were distributed with hardly no defect areas, large pit structures might decrease the light absorbance ability.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Compared to battery storage, demand response could achieve similar aims and, at the same time, there would be hardly no investment cost.

Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems

Regarding for instance the WHISP sessions with over 1000 observations on one baseline, there is hardly no difference between the solutions with and without turbulent correlations.

Earth, Planets and Space

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

43 human-written examples

This memoir, while hardly no-holds-barred, fills in many gaps, especially about his childhood and family in postwar east coast America.

The Guardian - Music

Under these conditions hardly any NO formation was observed after DEA/NO addition, and CuSO4 did not induce any NO release, whereas subsequent addition of 2 µM GSNO caused a pronounced signal (Fig. 5A).

Free Radical Biology and Medicine

But that hardly means no harm was done.

The New York Times

In response to Egypt, the Foreign Secretary could hardly answer "No comment".

Independent

Once the MoD had been asked, they could hardly say no.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using double negatives like "hardly no" in formal writing. Instead, opt for constructions like "almost no" or "hardly any" to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness.

Common error

Be mindful of unintentional double negatives. Using "hardly no" introduces confusion; replacing it with "hardly any" eliminates the error and clearly communicates the intended meaning.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly no" functions as a quantifier, attempting to express a minimal quantity or degree. However, it is considered grammatically incorrect due to its double negative construction, as noted by Ludwig AI.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

27%

News & Media

54%

Wiki

7%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The expression "hardly no" is a double negative and is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard written English. While it appears in various sources as shown by Ludwig, including news media and scientific publications, its use is discouraged in formal contexts. According to Ludwig AI, "hardly any" or "almost no" are better alternatives to express scarcity or near absence. When writing, avoid double negatives to maintain clarity and adhere to standard grammar conventions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hardly any

Corrects the double negative present in "hardly no".

almost no

Replaces "hardly no" with a more standard expression to indicate a small quantity or degree.

almost none

Mirrors "almost no" but focuses on the absence of a whole.

scarcely any

Emphasizes the rarity or infrequency, similar to "hardly any".

barely any

Indicates a minimal amount, close in meaning to "hardly any".

practically none

Indicates a near absence of something.

virtually no

Suggests that something is practically nonexistent.

next to no

Highlights the insignificance of the quantity or amount.

little to none

Expresses a lack of something, avoiding the double negative.

infrequent

Changes from quantity to frequency, implying something happens rarely.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "hardly no"?

The grammatically correct alternative to "hardly no" is "hardly any". This avoids the double negative, which is generally considered incorrect in standard English.

Is "hardly no" a double negative?

Yes, "hardly no" is a double negative. The word "hardly" already has a negative connotation, so adding "no" creates a grammatically incorrect construction.

What can I use instead of "hardly no"?

You can use phrases like "almost no", "scarcely any", or "barely any" as alternatives to "hardly no". These options are grammatically correct and convey a similar meaning.

Why is "hardly no" considered incorrect?

"Hardly no" is considered incorrect because it creates a double negative, where two negative words are used in the same clause. In standard English, double negatives are generally avoided because they can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Using "almost no" is a better choice.