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"Rarely" vs. "seldom": spotting the subtle differences
Reviewed and edited by 
Lloyd Cooper 08/10/2024, 19:24
Lloyd Cooper 08/10/2024, 19:24English.me team member
What is similar?
Both "rarely" and "seldom" are adverbs that describe something that happens infrequently or not very often.
What is different?
While both words are interchangeable in many contexts, "rarely" is more commonly used in modern English than "seldom", which can sometimes have a slightly more formal or old-fashioned connotation.
Which one is more common?
Examples of usage
Rarely- She rarely goes to the gym these days.
- I rarely eat fast food.
- He rarely makes mistakes in his calculations.
- We seldom see him since he moved to the city.
- She seldom wears that dress.
- He seldom visits his relatives in the countryside.
Difference
