It is commonly known that most words ending in –ly are adverbs. Not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. A significant number of them are adjectives, which are often mistaken for adverbs. Following is a list of adjectives ending in -ly that, with a few exceptions, cannot be used as adverbs.
| authorly | ghastly | monthly* | southerly |
| beastly | ghostly | motherly | sparkly |
| bodily | giggly | neighborly | spindly |
| bristly | godly | nightly | sprightly |
| bubbly | goodly | northeasterly | squiggly |
| burly | gravelly | northerly | steely |
| brotherly | grisly | northwesterly | stately |
| chilly | heavenly | oily | surly |
| comely | hilly | only | timely |
| costly | holy | orderly | treacly |
| courtly | homely | otherworldly | ugly |
| cowardly | hourly | painterly | unearthly |
| crinkly | housekeeperly | pearly | unfriendly |
| crumbly | husbandly | pebbly | ungainly |
| crumply | jolly | pimply | unlikely |
| cuddly | kindly | poorly | unruly |
| curly | kingly | priestly | unseemly |
| daily* | leisurely | princely | unsightly |
| dastardly | likely | quarterly | untimely |
| deadly | lively | queenly | unworldly |
| deathly | lonely | rumply | weekly* |
| disorderly | lovely | saintly | westerly |
| early | lowly | scaly | wifely |
| earthly | maidenly | scholarly | wily |
| easterly | manly | shapely | wobbly |
| elderly | mannerly | sickly | womanly |
| fatherly | masterly | silly | woolly |
| fortnightly* | matronly | sisterly | worldly |
| friendly | mealy | slatternly | wriggly |
| frilly | measly | slovenly | wrinkly |
| frizzly | melancholy | sly | yearly* |
| gentlemanly | miserly | smelly | ------ |
*Can also be used as an adverb.