hourly

Everyday

1. Hourly means happening every hour, once an hour. tree →
2. Hourly means counted or paid by the hour: an hourly wage. tree →
3. (adverb) Hourly can mean very often, any time now: «expected hourly». tree →

In the lessons

In maths problems it means «per hour»: an hourly rate of £10 means 10 pounds for each hour; to find the total, multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours. In everyday life, buses run hourly and the news is updated hourly. Phrases: «hourly rate», «hourly pay», «on the hour, every hour».

Examples

• The bus to town runs hourly. tree →
• Her hourly pay is £12. tree →
• She earns £12 an hour, so for 5 hours she earns £60. tree →
• The weather app shows an hourly forecast. tree →
• The nurse checked his temperature hourly. tree →
• The news is on hourly. tree →
• They expect the baby to arrive hourly! tree →

Note

Both an adjective (an hourly bus) and an adverb (the bus runs hourly). The h is silent: «OUR-lee», so use «an»: «an hourly bus». Maths: hourly rate × hours = total; total ÷ hours = hourly rate. Do not confuse with «hour by hour» (gradually) or «every half hour».