Hard-Hardly | Commonly Confused Words

Hard

/hɑːd/

Difficult to do or understand; solid and firm

They slam me harder against the wall.He was a hard man, and his answer was unfriendly.Helm alee - hard aport!

/ˈhɑːdli/

Almost not or only a small amount

Hardly that," said Japp dryly.Even Julia hardly gathered the full import of it.She could hardly keep her eyes open.

Hard can refer to something that is firm or severe, while hardly means barely or not quite.
Remember, hard is both an adjective and adverb, but hardly is an adverb only.
Hard can describe the nature of something (like a surface or a challenge), whereas hardly suggests the frequency or intensity of something is low.
When something is hard, its not easy or soft; when you do something hardly, its done just a little or almost not at all.
Visualize hard as something challenging or inflexible, and hardly as something that is surprisingly minimal.