What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
difficultly
Example
She completed the exam with great difficultly. [difficultly: adverb]
Example
The instructions were written difficultly, making it hard to follow. [difficultly: adjective]
hardship
Example
The family endured many hardships during the war. [hardships: noun]
Example
The drought caused great hardship for the farmers. [hardship: noun]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Hardship is more commonly used than difficultly in everyday language. Hardship is a versatile word that can be used in various contexts, while difficultly is less common and more specific to describing tasks or activities.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between difficultly and hardship?
Both difficultly and hardship are formal words that can be used in academic or professional settings. However, hardship is more commonly used in formal writing and has a more serious tone than difficultly.
