What is the difference between "rather, fairly, and pretty" in American english?
1. What is the difference between "rather, fairly, and pretty" in American english about "Positive vs. negative connotation" and "Colloquial vs. formal". (rather, fairly, and pretty + adjectives)

2. Can I use "Somewhat and Kind of" to replace them?

I'm learning American english. Thank you for your help!

Question

What is the difference between "rather, fairly, and pretty" in American english?
1. What is the difference between "rather, fairly, and pretty" in American english about "Positive vs. negative connotation" and "Colloquial vs. formal". (rather, fairly, and pretty + adjectives)

2. Can I use "Somewhat and Kind of" to replace them?

I'm learning American english. Thank you for your help!

Answer

Brandon is correct and they all basically mean the same thing, but there are subtle differences.

In order of colloquial to formal (my opinion):
Sort of, somewhat, pretty, rather, fairly

"Sort of" and "somewhat" implies that are only partially the description (e.g. "She is sort of pretty" and "She is somewhat pretty" would be taken negatively and the girl would be offended).

"Pretty", "rather", and "fairly" means that they fit the description in a greater sense (e.g. "She is pretty smart" and "She is fairly smart" would be taken positively and the girl would be happy). "Pretty" seems to be more positive and "rather"/"fairly" are a little more neutral.

Answer

1. All three words mean the same thing and can be used in the same way. However, 'fairly' and 'rather' are more formal. 
2. Yes, they mean the same as well and are both informal ways of saying it.

Hope that helps!

Answers · 2

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