much ado about nothing

Questions

How do you pronounce much ado about nothing?

The recorded pronunciation is /mʌtʃ əˈduː əˈbaʊt ˈnʌθɪŋ/.

What does much ado about nothing mean?

A lot of fuss or bother about something trivial.

Where does much ado about nothing come from?

First appears c. the early 1500s, and first found in The Defense of the Aunswere to the Admonition, against the Replie of T. C., a pamphlet (1574) by John Whitgift (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to 1604). Made popular and particularly known from the title of the comedy play Much Ado About Nothing (1598) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare had earlier used ado (“business, activity”) in the play Romeo and Juliet (1592) Weele keepe no great adoe, a Friend or two, though it is now frequently used to mean fuss as a contraction of the phrase here; nothing in the title of the play is a wordplay which can also mean noting (“to notice”) besides the usual meaning of nothing.

How to pronounce much ado about nothing

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “much ado about nothing”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/mʌtʃ əˈduː əˈbaʊt ˈnʌθɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “much ado about nothing”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “much ado about nothing” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.