new

/njuː/

//njuː// adj

"new" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“new” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #65 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#65
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Recently made, or created.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

new vs NJ
0% similar
new vs ni
33% similar
new vs Ng
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for new
PropertyValue
Headwordnew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/njuː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#65
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “new” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). new lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for new is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /njuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #65 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

new doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NJ", "ni", "Ng", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English newe, from Old English nīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos (“new”), from *néwos. Compare also Old English nū (“now”). More at now. Doublet of nuevo, novuss, and neo-. Cogna… The correct English form is new, spelled N-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Recently made, or created.
  2. 2
    Recently made, or created.
  3. 3
    Additional; recently discovered.
  4. 4
    Current or later, as opposed to former.
  5. 5
    Used to distinguish something established more recently, named after something or some place previously existing.
  6. 6
    In original condition; pristine; not previously worn or used.
  7. 7
    Refreshed, reinvigorated, reformed.
  8. 8
    Newborn.
  9. 9
    Strange, unfamiliar or not previously known.
  10. 10
    Recently arrived or appeared.
  11. 11
    Inexperienced or unaccustomed at some task.
  12. 12
    Next; about to begin or recently begun.

Etymology

From Middle English newe, from Old English nīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos (“new”), from *néwos. Compare also Old English nū (“now”). More at now. Doublet of nuevo, novuss, and neo-. Cognates Cognate with Scots new (“new”), North Frisian nai, nei, nii (“new”), Saterland Frisian näi (“new”), West Frisian nij (“new”), Alemannic German nöi, nüüw (“new”), Bavarian neich (“new”), Cimbrian naüge (“new”), Dutch nieuw, nij (“new”), Dutch Low Saxon nij (“new”), German neu, new, neuw (“new”), Low German nee, neei (“new”), Luxembourgish nei (“new”), Yiddish נײַ (nay, “new”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ny (“new”), Faroese nýggjur (“new”), Icelandic nýr (“new”), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis, “new”), Latin novus (“new”), Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new”), Welsh newydd (“new”), Russian но́вый (nóvyj, “new”), Armenian նոր (nor, “new”), Persian نو (now, “new”), Northern Kurdish nû (“new”), Hindi नया (nayā, “new”), Tocharian B ñuwe (“new”).

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "new"?
"new" is spelled N-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /njuː/.
What does "new" mean?
As an adjective, "new" means: Recently made, or created.
What words are commonly confused with "new"?
"new" is commonly confused with "NJ", "ni", "Ng". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "new"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "new" is /njuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "new"?
From Middle English newe, from Old English nīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos (“new”), from *néwos. Compare also Old English nū (“now”). More at now. Doublet of nuevo, novuss, and n... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “new”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /njuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “NJ” - see the side-by-side comparison. new vs NJ
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list