"Almost and Nearly" "Almost" and "Nearly" have similar meanings. They're both used to express progress and counting. Examples 1. "I'm almost at work" or "I'm nearly at work" (I'll soon be at work)- These sentences show progress. In comparison to the speaker's distance before he/she is now closer to his/her destination. In some cases the word "almost" shows more ‘nearness’ than nearly. Examples 1.It is nearly 12 o’clock. ( perhaps 11.45) 2.It is almost 12 o’clock. ( perhaps 11.55) Differences "Nearly"shows progress towards a goal. "Almost" suggests ideas such as similarity. Examples 1.Ashley is "almost" like her sister. This shows that "Ashley" has some similarities to her sister. Perhaps habits; like stuff they like to eat. 2. I'm "nearly" towards ending university. This shows that the speaker is closer to his goal of leaving university. Perhaps graduation as well. Another difference is that the word "nearly" is not normally used before negative words like never, nobody, nothing, any etc. Instead we use almost or hardly with ever, anybody, anything etc. Example The speaker said almost nothing. The speaker said only a few words of little importance. Hope this helps^^

Hi! Most of the time they are interchangeable when it comes to measuring or counting things : - It's nearly 9 o' clock - I sold almost 5000 copies of my book - Nearly all my friends were at the party To soften statements, only "almost" would be used : - I almost wish I hadn't invited him to my birthday - She almost never sings in her native language Hope it helped. And if there's a mistake, I'm sure a native speaker will let us know :) Have a nice day!