Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brand new

/ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.81 in modern English

Syllables: brand new
IPA: /ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Utterly new, as new as possible.

adj

Acting in a way unusual for oneself.

Slang

Example Sentences

"New bodies, new minds ... and all thinges new, brande-newe"
"two pair of bran-new plumpers"
"It's a rough trip no matter how you come, for these washboard roads will loosen up even brandnew cars pretty fast; and hitchhikers always find the going bad."
"He ain't no drag / Papa's got a brand new bag"
"I know it's hard to see / All of the brand new possibilities / But if you're here with me / Then we can live, love and / Always be free, can't you see"
"Dream on white boy / Dream on black girl / And wake up to a brand new day / To find your dreams have washed away"

Etymology

From brand (“firebrand”) + new, implying something that is newly forged (first citation 1570; compare fire-new (“fresh from the fire, brand-new”)). Alternatively, and less likely from brand as in a branding iron (i.e. newly-branded). The first element of the variant bran new, with the post nasal stop deletion common to English (compare the common pronunciation (outside Britain) of hunting as hunning [hʌnɪŋ]), is claimed to be from bran as if from cases where new items were supposedly “packaged up with unwanted grain (bran) in the 18th century to protect the objects during transit” (source unknown). Both variants are well attested.

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

brand-new (alternative) bran new (alternative, archaic) bran-new (alternative, archaic) brent new (alternative, archaic) brank new (alternative, archaic)

Phrases

brand spanking new spanking new

Frequently Paired Words

brand spanking new spanking new

Synonyms

new all-new brand new brand spanking new cherry fresh freshly made green hot mint nascent newish

Questions

How do you pronounce brand new?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/.
What does brand new mean?: Utterly new, as new as possible.
Where does brand new come from?: From brand (“firebrand”) + new, implying something that is newly forged (first citation 1570; compare fire-new (“fresh from the fire, brand-new”)). Alternatively, and less likely from brand as in a branding iron (i.e. newly-branded). The first element of the variant bran new, with the post nasal stop deletion common to English (compare the common pronunciation (outside Britain) of hunting as hunning [hʌnɪŋ]), is claimed to be from bran as if from cases where new items were supposedly “packaged up with unwanted grain (bran) in the 18th century to protect the objects during transit” (source unknown). Both variants are well attested.

How to pronounce brand new

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brand new”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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