Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

naught

/noːt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.96 in modern English

Syllables: naught
IPA: /noːt/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

pron

noun

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Alternative spelling of nought.

American usage; Countable; Dated; Uncountable

num

Alternative spelling of nought (“zero”).

Archaic

Example Sentences

"Naught can come of this, you mark my words."
"Eat! Drink! Love! for all else is naught."
"But that was naught to my old mate, he didn't mind at all."
"My day starts where yesterday's had finished - at St Pancras, only this time on Thameslink and the subterranean station I first visited when it was naught but an empty box. Now it's a vital cross-London interchange."

Etymology

From the Middle English naught, nought, naht, nawiht, from Old English nawiht. Cognate with West Frisian neat (“nothing, naught”). Doublet of nought. Equivalent to ne + aught.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: naught, nawiht

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /noːt/
British English: /nɔːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

nought (alternative) naughts (plural)

Derived Forms

fearnaught naughty

Phrases

aleph-naught bring to naught come to naught do-naught good-for-naught more often than naught set at naught

Frequently Paired Words

aught Naughties naw negative no noot not nought

Synonyms

nothing nil nix nada null aught cipher cypher goose egg zero zilch zip

Homonyms

nought not knot (both cot–caught merger)

Rhymes With

thought brought taught fought sought ought ot bot wrought wat distraught fraught

Questions

How do you pronounce naught?: The recorded pronunciation is /noːt/.
What does naught mean?: Nothing.
Where does naught come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce naught

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