Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

north

/noɹθ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.34 in modern English

Syllables
north
IPA
/noɹθ/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The up or positive direction.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Alternative letter-case form of North (“a northern region; the inhabitants thereof”).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

In a church: the direction to the left-hand side of a person facing the altar.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Of or pertaining to the north; northern.

adj

Toward the north; northward.

adj

Of wind, from the north.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *nér Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *nŕ̥t(e)ros Proto-Germanic *nurþraz Proto-West Germanic *norþr Old English norþ Middle English north English north From Middle English north, from Old English norþ, from Proto-West Germanic *norþr, from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nér (“below (the surface)”). The meaning developed either from "region where the sun is below (the earth)" or from "left side of someone who turns to the east when praying". Cognates Cognate with various Germanic counterparts such as Yola noardth, nordh (“north”), North Frisian noor, nord, nuurd, Nuurđ (“north”), Saterland Frisian Noude, Nudde (“north”), West Frisian noard (“north”), Dutch noord (“north”), German Nord (“north”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nord (“north”), Faroese and Icelandic norður (“north”), Swedish nord, norr (“north”); also with Ancient Greek νέρτερος (nérteros), ἐνέρτερος (enérteros, “below”), Russian нора (nora, “hole”), Lithuanian nėrõvė (“mermaid, nymph”), Oscan 𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊 (nertrak, “left”), Umbrian nertru (“left”), Sanskrit नरक (naraka, “hell”), Tocharian B ñor (“below”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: north, norþ, *norþr, *nurþrą, *nér

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /noɹθ/
  • British English: /nɔːθ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

norths (plural) further north (comparative) farther north (comparative) furthest north (superlative) farthest north (superlative) norths (present, singular) northing (participle, present) northed (participle, past) northed (past) the North (canonical)

Derived Forms

northbound northbridge northcentral northeast northeaster northeasterly northeastern norther northerly northern northerner northie

Phrases

Athens of the North east by north east-northeast east-north-east Far North global north grid north Hollywood North

Frequently Paired Words

Norse N Northeast South East West Northwest Southeast

Synonyms

Global North boreal septentrional northerly northwards northward due north n

Homonyms

north

Antonyms

south austral meridional

Rhymes With

fourth forth henceforth porth thenceforth goforth borth warth korth 4th swarth

Questions

How do you pronounce north?
The recorded pronunciation is /noɹθ/.
What does north mean?
The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.
Where does north come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce north

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