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PlainSpell

so

UK /səʊ/conjunction, adverb, adjective, interjection, pronoun, noun

so is spelled S-O: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 3,311 times per million words in written English, the 34th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a conjunction, so means “As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in so?

Letters2: S-O
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3,311 times per million words; the 34th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Sounds like
Rhymes with

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 so?

So appears 3,311 times per million words in written English, the 34th 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 so?

  • UK /səʊ/
  • /siː/
  • /sə/

So has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-so.wav, En-us-so.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with so

Sounds like: seau, sew, soe, soh (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Also written: soe, soh.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with so?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as so from its last stressed vowel (/əʊ/, British pronunciation):

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).

Forms of so

  • more so comparative
  • most so superlative
  • sos plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does so mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

conjunction

  1. 1

    Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that. (a form of 'so that')

    I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.

  2. 2

    As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this.

    I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.

  3. 3

    Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.

    So how does this story end?

  4. 4

    Used to introduce a rhetorical question.

    “We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” – “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.”

  5. 5

    archaicProvided that; on condition that; as long as.

adverb

  1. 1

    To the (explicitly stated) extent.

    It was so hot outside that all the plants died.

  2. 2

    To the (implied) extent.

    I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]

  3. 3

    Very (positive or negative clause).

    I feel so much better now.

  4. 4

    Very much.

    But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!

  5. 5

    informalat all (negative clause).

    That is so not true!

  6. 6

    In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also.

    As above, so below.

  7. 7

    Indeed.

    ‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’

  8. 8

    To such an extent or degree; as.

    so far as;  so long as;  so much as

adjective

  1. 1

    Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.

    That is so.

  2. 2

    In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.

    "You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that).

  3. 3

    UKdatedslangHomosexual.

    Is he so?

interjection

  1. 1

    Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic.

    So, let's go home.

  2. 2

    Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner.

    "You park your car in front of my house every morning." – "So?"

  3. 3

    Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.

    What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.

  4. 4

    archaicBe as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.

pronoun

  1. 1

    That which was previously mentioned; that.

    I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.

  2. 2

    Abbreviation of someone.

noun

  1. 1

    A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.

  2. 2

    Sometimes syllable for both the second and the fifth.

  3. 3

    A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.

noun

as SO
  1. 1

    Initialism of significant other.

  2. 2

    Initialism of shut out.

  3. 3

    Initialism of shootout.

  4. 4

    Initialism of strike out.

  5. 5

    Initialism of second-order logic.

  6. 6

    Initialism of symphony orchestra.

  7. 7

    Abbreviation of singlet oxygen.

  8. 8

    Abbreviation of standing order.

pronoun

as SO
  1. 1

    Initialism of someone.

noun

as So
  1. 1

    A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand.

  2. 2

    Alternative form of So..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

So in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchafin que, pour que (in order that), alors, donc (as a result), tellement, vraiment (very)
Germandamit, sodass, um ... zu (in order that), also (as a result), so, sehr (very)
Portuguesepara que (in order that), então (as a result), tão (very), assim, da mesma forma (in the same aformentioned manner), aí (interjection used to introduce a new topic)
Spanishasí que, así es que, conque de forma que (as a result), tan, más (very), y bien (used to connect previous conversation or events…)

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 so come from?

From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after so