Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

so long

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.73 in modern English

Syllables: so -long
IPA

7

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Goodbye; a valediction used when leaving or departing from a person or place.

Informal

Example Sentences

"So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
"He had a lot to say / He had a lot of nothing to say / We'll miss him / We'll miss him / We're gonna miss him / We're gonna miss him / So long / We wish you well / You told us how you weren't afraid to die / Well, so long / Don't cry / Or feel too down / Not all martyrs see divinity / But at least you tried / Standing above the crowd / He had a voice that was strong and loud / We'll miss him / We'll miss him"

Etymology

Uncertain. Compare to Swedish hej så länge and Russian пока (poka). See Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “so long”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Usage

Informal

Phrases

so long as

Frequently Paired Words

so long as

Synonyms

adieu adios arrivederci auf wiedersehen au revoir bye bye-bye cheerio good-by goodby good-bye goodbye

Questions

What does so long mean?: Goodbye; a valediction used when leaving or departing from a person or place.
Where does so long come from?: Uncertain. Compare to Swedish hej så länge and Russian пока (poka). See Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “so long”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

How to pronounce so long

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