Pronunciation: [wˈə͡ʊfəlɪ] (IPA) 
The word "woefully" is spelled with the letter "w" followed by "o-e" ( /woʊ/ ) which is a digraph pronounced as a long "o" sound. The next syllable is spelled with the letters "f" and "u-l" ( /fʊl/ ) and pronounced with a short "u" sound. The final syllable is spelled with the letters "l-y" ( /li/ ) which is pronounced with a long "e" sound. The word "woefully" means to do something in a sad or unfortunate way.
Woefully is an adverb that describes something done in a manner that is full of woe or sorrow. It is often used to emphasize the intensity or extent of sadness, grief, or distress that is being conveyed. When something is described as woefully, it means it is characterized by deep unhappiness, sorrow, or regret.
The term can also indicate a sense of inadequacy or disappointment. It suggests that something is done or performed in a manner that falls short of expectations or desires, resulting in a feeling of dismay or lamentation. It implies a state of despair or disappointment, particularly when used to describe a situation that is perceived as unfortunate, pitiable, or regrettable.
Furthermore, woefully can express a sense of deficiency or insufficiency in quantity or quality. It conveys an idea of something being lacking, insufficient, or sadly deficient. This usage highlights a negative or unsatisfactory aspect of a certain condition or circumstance, often accentuating the negative outcome or consequence.
Overall, the word woefully carries a strong emotional connotation, lamenting a lack, disappointment, or sorrowful state of being. It paints a vivid picture of a situation or performance characterized by intense sadness, regret, disappointment, or insufficiency.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "woefully" is derived from the Middle English term "wofulli", which dates back to the 14th century. It is formed by combining the noun "woeful", meaning sorrow or grief, with the suffix "-ly", which is used to form adverbs. The base form "woeful" originated from the Old English word "woful", which was also used to convey a sense of grief, sadness, or distress. Ultimately, the etymology of "woefully" can be traced back to the Old English word "wof", meaning calamity or misfortune.
