Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

again

/əˈɡɛn/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.70 in modern English

Syllables: a-gain
IPA: /əˈɡɛn/

6

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Another time: indicating a repeat of an action.

adv

Back (to a former place or state).

adv

Over and above a factor of one.

adv

Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.

adv

Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.

adv

Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.

adv

Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.

adv

Back in the reverse direction, or to an original starting point.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"I enjoyed it so much I went again the next day."
"He tangled in tree-tops again and again / And barely missed hitting a tri-motored plane."
"Johnny said, “Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again / I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been.”"
"The last sentence is so shocking, I have to read it again."
"We need to bring the old customs to life again."
"The South will rise again."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Germanic *in Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganganąder.? Proto-Germanic *gagin Proto-Germanic *in gagin Proto-West Germanic *in gagin Old English onġēan Middle English agayn English again From Middle English agayn, from Old English onġēan (“against, again”), from Proto-West Germanic *in gagin, from Proto-Germanic *in gagin. Cognate with German entgegen (“contrary to”), North Frisian ijen (“against”), Danish igen (“again”), Swedish igen (“again”), and Norwegian Bokmål igjen (“again”), and Icelandic í gegnum (“through”). By surface analysis, on- + gain (“against”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: agayn, onġēan, *in gagin

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əˈɡɛn/
British English: /əˈɡɛn/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

agen (alternative, obsolete) againe (alternative, obsolete) agayne (alternative, obsolete) ageyne (alternative, obsolete) agin (alternative, colloquial) ag'in (alternative, colloquial) 'gain (alternative, dialectal)

Derived Forms

againness agenbite Meagain turnagain

Phrases

again and again again-coming all over again as much again at times and again born again born-again breathe again

Synonyms

once more re- ana- de novo once again over again

Rhymes With

when then men ten ben en pen gen cnn ken den sen

Questions

How do you pronounce again?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈɡɛn/.
What does again mean?: Another time: indicating a repeat of an action.
Where does again come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce again

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “again”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əˈɡɛn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “again” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.