anyhow
/ˈɛn.i.haʊ/adverb, adjective
anyhow is spelled A-N-Y-H-O-W: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, anyhow means “In any way or manner whatever” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in anyhow?
| Letters | 6: A-N-Y-H-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is anyhow?
Anyhow appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce anyhow?
- US /ˈɛn.i.haʊ/
- US /ˈæn.i.haʊ/
Anyhow has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-anyhow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with anyhow?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as anyhow (/ɛnihaʊ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: anywho.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
What does anyhow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In any way or manner whatever.
- 2
In any case. Used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement.
Anyhow, he is dead now.
- 3
Without care or tidiness; recklessly, negligently or randomly.
- 4
Thoughtlessly, randomly, without careful consideration.
Compare Hokkien 亂／乱 (loān) and 四散 (sì-sòaⁿ).
adjective
- 1
Random, careless, offhand, disorderly; done without thought or consideration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anyhow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in any way, in any manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | de toute manière, de toute façon, en tout cas |
| German | irgendwie |
| Portuguese | de qualquer modo, de todo modo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does anyhow come from?
From any + how.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).