The Adverb of Soft: Softly
The adverb of soft is softly.
How softly is formed
Add -ly with no change: soft + ly = softly.
The default rule, as in sharp → sharply, warm → warmly and neat → neatly.
Softly in a sentence
| She spoke softly so as not to wake him. | Quietly. The dominant sense. |
| He knocked softly on the door. | Gently, with little force. |
| The room was softly lit. | Before a past participle – a common pattern. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns softly appears in most often.
| spoke / sang / whispered softly | Volume. The most frequent use. |
| knocked / touched / closed softly | Force rather than sound. |
| softly lit / spoken / rounded | Before a participle or adjective. |
Softly or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to softly, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| quietly | Only about sound. A door can be closed softly and still make a noise. |
| gently | Only about force and care, never about volume. |
| faintly | About being barely detectable, which softly does not imply. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| a soft-spoken man who spoke soft | a soft-spoken man who spoke softly |
Soft-spoken is a hyphenated adjective and is correct as it stands. But the verb needs the adverb: spoke softly, not spoke soft.
The softly-softly approach. British English doubles the word into a fixed phrase meaning cautious and gradual: a softly-softly approach to the negotiations. It behaves as an adjective, is always hyphenated, and has no singular equivalent.
Related forms
Pronunciation: SOFT-lee, two syllables.
| Adjective | soft |
| Adverb | softly |
| Noun | softness |
| Verb | soften |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- He closed the door ___ behind him.
- She ___ placed the cup on the saucer.
- The music played ___ in the background.
Answers: 1. softly / quietly 2. gently 3. softly
Frequently asked
Is speak soft ever correct?
Only in poetry and in deliberately archaic phrasing. In ordinary writing the adverb is required.
