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Bad vs badly
Bad is the adjective (a bad idea, smells bad), and badly is the adverb that goes with a verb (plays badly, badly hurt).
Quick rule
Noun, or after be, feel, smell, or taste? Bad. How you do something? Badly.
Describes a person or thing. It goes before a noun or after verbs like be, feel, look, smell, and taste.
Describes how you do something, and goes with a verb. It also means very much with need and want, or seriously.
Why it trips people up
Bad describes what a person or thing is like, even after linking verbs such as smell, taste, and feel. Badly describes how an action is done, and it comes with a verb. People often add -ly where an adjective is needed.
How each one works
Bad
Describing a situation
The weather was bad all week.
Judging a thing
That movie was really bad.
After a sense verb
The fish in the fridge smells bad.
Badly
How something is done
He sings badly, but he loves it.
How an action went
I slept badly last night.
With a participle: seriously
The car was badly damaged in the storm.
What comes next
bad plus noun
We had a bad day at work.
taste, look, feel, or smell plus bad
The soup tastes bad without salt.
verb plus badly
She danced badly at the party.
badly plus participle: very or seriously
The road is badly lit at night.
need or want plus something plus badly
I want this job badly.
Set phrases
Bad
- not bad
- fairly good
- too bad
- said when you feel sorry about something
Badly
- badly off
- having very little money
- do badly
- to get poor results
Almost the same
He is a bad driver.
Bad describes the person.
He drives badly.
Badly says how he drives.
The soup tastes bad.
It describes the soup after tastes.
The cook cooks badly.
It says how he cooks.
In a conversation
- A:
How was the concert?
- B:
The singer was bad, honestly. He sang badly the whole night.
- A:
Oh no. Was the sound bad too?
- B:
Yes, and the room smelled bad. I want my money back badly!
- A:
That's too bad. Let's go to a different concert next time.
- B:
Deal.
Common mistakes
Wrong: The food tastes badly.
Right: The food tastes bad.
After taste, use an adjective, because you describe the food and not an action.
Wrong: He was bad injured in the crash.
Right: He was badly injured in the crash.
To say how seriously he was hurt, use the adverb badly.
Memory trick
Ask what it describes. A person or thing, or after be, feel, smell, taste? Bad. How an action is done? Badly. Badly also means "a lot" or "seriously": badly damaged, need it badly.
It depends
- Feel bad or feel badly
- I feel bad is the standard form for guilt or sadness. I feel badly is heard often, but many style guides correct it, so use feel bad in formal writing.
- Bad as an adverb
- In casual speech you hear It hurts bad or I need it bad. In writing, badly is the standard form.
FAQ
Is it feel bad or feel badly?
Feel bad is the standard choice. Feel badly is common in speech, but many style guides prefer bad.
What is the difference between bad and badly?
Bad is an adjective: a bad idea, it smells bad. Badly is an adverb: she plays badly.
Can badly mean very much?
Yes. I need help badly means I need it a lot, and badly hurt means seriously hurt.