nowadays
/ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/adverb
nowadays is spelled N-O-W-A-D-A-Y-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, nowadays means “At the present time; in the current era” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nowadays?
| Letters | 8: N-O-W-A-D-A-Y-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is nowadays?
Nowadays appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th 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 nowadays?
- US /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/
- /ˈnuː.ə.deɪz/
Nowadays 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-nowadays.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nowadays
- nowaday
- now-a-days
- now a days
- nowdays
- nowsaday
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nowadays mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
At the present time; in the current era.
Cars nowadays are more efficient.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nowadays in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense at the present time; in the current era:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | actuellement, de nos jours, aujourd'hui, présentement |
| German | gegenwärtig, zur Zeit, derzeitig, jetzt, zurzeit, momentan |
| Portuguese | hoje em dia, atualmente, hoje, agora |
| Spanish | hoy en día, hogaño, ogaño, en la actualidad |
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 nowadays come from?
From now + adays.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).