Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

to the nines

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English

Syllables
to the nines
IPA
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

To perfection; fully, wholly.

Etymology

From Scots, perhaps a rebracketing of to then eyne (“to the eyes”) or to thyn eyne (“(up) to your eyes”).

Word Breakdown

Phrases

dressed to the nines dressed up to the nines up to the nines

Frequently Paired Words

dressed to the nines dressed up to the nines up to the nines

Synonyms

all the way from soup to nuts in excelsis to the backbone to the bone to the brim to the core to the fullest to the full to the gills to the gunnels to the hilt

Questions

What does to the nines mean?
To perfection; fully, wholly.
Where does to the nines come from?
From Scots, perhaps a rebracketing of to then eyne (“to the eyes”) or to thyn eyne (“(up) to your eyes”).

How to pronounce to the nines

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “to the nines”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “to the nines”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “to the nines” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.