# anything

> English word · Pronoun · IPA /ˈɛn.ɪ.θɪŋ/ · frequency rank #254

## Definitions
1. Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatsoever; a thing of any kind; something or other.
2. Expressing an indefinite comparison.

## 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
Proto-Indo-European *tenk-?
Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm
Proto-Germanic *þingą
Proto-West Germanic *þing
Old English þing
Old English aniþing
Middle English anything
English anything
From Middle English anything, enything, onything, from Late Old English aniþing, from earlier ǣniġ þing (literally “any thing”), equivalent to any + thing.

## Common misspellings (13)
`annything`, `antyhing`, `anyhting`, `anythhing`, `anythign`, `anythingg`, `anythinng`, `anythnig`, `anytihng`, `anytthing`, `anyything`, `aynthing`, `naything`

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