Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by now

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.06 in modern English

Syllables
by now
IPA
13
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

The hour being what it is; the hour being so advanced; considering that it is so far in time already; now that so much time has elapsed; if not before, now at the latest.

Example Sentences

Etymology

See by, sense 3: “not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval)”.

Phrases

late in the day

Frequently Paired Words

late in the day by then

Synonyms

already at this stage at this point

Questions

What does by now mean?
The hour being what it is; the hour being so advanced; considering that it is so far in time already; now that so much time has elapsed; if not before, now at the latest.
Where does by now come from?
See by, sense 3: “not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval)”.

How to pronounce by now

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