Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

now

/naʊ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.18 in modern English

Syllables
now
IPA
/naʊ/
6
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Present; current.

adv

At the present time.

adv

Used to introduce a point, a qualification of what has previously been said, a remonstration or a rebuke.

adv

At the time reached within a narration.

adv

At the present point of a recurring cycle or event.

Informal

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English nou, nu, from Old English nū, from Proto-West Germanic *nū, from Proto-Germanic *nu (“now”), from Proto-Indo-European *nū (“now”). Doublet of nu ("well?"). Cognates Cognate with Scots noo, nou, now (“now”), Yola neow, now, nowe (“now”), North Frisian nü (“now”), West Frisian no (“now”), Dutch nu, nou (“now”), German nu, nun (“now”), Limburgish noe, Nuu (“now”), Danish and Swedish nu (“now”), Elfdalian nų (“now”), Faroese nú, núgv (“now”), Icelandic nú, núna (“now”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk no, nu, nå (“now”), Gothic 𐌽𐌿 (nu, “now”); also Gaulish nu (“now”), Latin num (“now”), Greek νυν (nyn, “currently, now”), Albanian ni, tani (“now”), Bulgarian ни́не (níne, “currently, now”), Czech nyní (“now”), Old Polish ninie (“now”), Russian но́не (nóne), ны́не (nýne, “now, today”), Ukrainian ни́ні (nýni, “nowadays; today”), Avestan 𐬥𐬏 (nū, “currently, now”), Baluchi نون (nún, “now”), Persian اکنون (aknun / aknūn), کنون (konun), نون (nun / nūn, “now”), Northern Kurdish ana, anaka, anêka, aniha, anika, naga, naha, naka, niha, niho, nika, noke, ئانا (ana), نکا (nka, “now”), Ossetian ныр (nyr, “now”), Hittite 𒆠𒉡𒌦 (ki-nu-un, “now”), Luwian 𒈾𒀀𒉡𒌦 (nānun, “now”), Tocharian A nuṃ (“again, once more”), Tocharian B nano (“again, once more”), Sanskrit नु (nu, “now”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /naʊ/
  • British English: /naʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce now?
The recorded pronunciation is /naʊ/.
What does now mean?
Present; current.
Where does now come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce now

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