Vocabulary for IELTS Academic (Band 5) - Adverbs of Frequency

always [adverb]

at all times, without any exceptions

Ex: The restaurant always serves delicious food .

never [adverb]

not at any point in time

Ex: I never thought I 'd see such a beautiful sunset .

often [adverb]

on many occasions

Ex: The library is often quiet during weekdays .

sometimes [adverb]

on some occasions but not always

Ex: They sometimes play board games as a family .

rarely [adverb]

on a very infrequent basis

Ex: It rarely snows in this part of the country .

frequently [adverb]

regularly and with short time in between

Ex: The manager frequently communicates updates to the team .

occasionally [adverb]

not on a regular basis

Ex: She reads novels , and occasionally , she writes short stories .

seldom [adverb]

used to refer to something that happens rarely or infrequently

Ex: He seldom attends social events .

regularly [adverb]

at predictable, equal time periods

Ex: The magazine is published regularly , every two weeks .

constantly [adverb]

in a way that continues without any pause

Ex: The background music at the cafe played constantly .

continuously [adverb]

without any pause or interruption

Ex: The rain fell continuously for hours , causing flooding .

ever [adverb]

at any point in time

Ex: Do n't ever speak to me like that again .

repeatedly [adverb]

in a manner that occurs multiple times

Ex: The alarm rang repeatedly .

usually [adverb]

in most situations or under normal circumstances

Ex: We usually have a family gathering on Thanksgiving .

infrequently [adverb]

on very rare occasions

Ex: He visits his hometown infrequently , maybe once every few years .

habitually [adverb]

in a way that reflects someone's regular behavior or usual pattern over time

Ex: The professor habitually arrived five minutes early to every lecture .

continually [adverb]

in a way that happens repeatedly, often annoyingly

once [adverb]

for one single time

Ex: She called me once but never again .

daily [adverb]

in a way that happens every day or once a day

Ex: The medication must be taken daily with food .

weekly [adverb]

after every seven days

Ex: They review progress reports weekly .

from time to time [adverb]

without a fixed schedule or pattern

Ex: She visits her grandparents ' house from time to time to catch up with them .

yearly [adverb]

after every twelve months

Ex: I renew my subscription to the magazine yearly .

monthly [adverb]

in a way than happens once every month

Ex: She reviews her investment portfolio monthly .

twice [adverb]

for two instances

Ex: I 've traveled to Europe twice .

(every|) once in a while [phrase]

in a way that occurs occasionally or infrequently

Ex: Once in a while , we have a family movie night .

now and again [phrase]

on occasions that are not regular or frequent

Ex: She changes her hairstyle now and again .

hourly [adverb]

after every 60 minutes

Ex: The weather forecast is updated hourly .

off and on [adverb]

in a way that is not continuous or regular

Ex: They meet up for coffee off and on , whenever their schedules align .

nonstop [adverb]

without pausing or taking a break

Ex: The rain fell nonstop for the entire day .

mostly [adverb]

commonly or typically

Ex: The kids mostly play indoors during the hot summer months .

(every|) now and then [phrase]

on irregular but not rare occasions

Ex: They take short vacations now and then .