# any

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ɛni/ · frequency rank #90

## Definitions
1. To even the slightest extent, at all.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ís?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Indo-European *h₁oy-no-kós
Proto-Germanic *ainagaz
Proto-West Germanic *ainag
Old English ǣniġ
Middle English ani
English any
From Middle English any, eny, ony, ani, aniȝ, eniȝ, æniȝ, from Old English ǣniġ (“any”), from Proto-West Germanic *ainīg, *ainag, from Proto-Germanic *ainagaz, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”), equivalent to one + -y.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian eenich (“some”), West Frisian iennich (“only”), Dutch enig (“any, some”), Afrikaans enig (“any”), German Low German enig (“some”), German einig (“some”); via Proto-Indo-European *óynos cognate with Latin ūllus (“any”), Latin ūnicus (whence Italian unico (“unique”), French unique (“unique”)). Piecewise doublet of unique.

## Easily confused with
- **as** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-as)
- **at** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-at)
- **AP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ap)
- **aw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-aw)
- **AR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ar)
- **AU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-au)
- **AZ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-az)
- **av** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-av)
- **ay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ay)
- **ao** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ao)
- **ax** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ax)
- **are** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-are)
- **ask** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ask)
- **art** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-art)
- **ass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ass)
- **App** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-app)
- **arm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-arm)
- **ate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ate)
- **arc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-arc)
- **ash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/any-vs-ash)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/any