so far

adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"so-far" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“so far” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Until now; previously; yet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-so-far · so far · English

so far · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for so far
PropertyValue
Headwordso far
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “so far” sits in English frequency

so farsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

so far is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for so far, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Compound of so + far. Compare Dutch zo ver. The correct English form is so far, spelled S-O- -F-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Until now; previously; yet.
  2. 2
    A limited distance, literal or metaphorical.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how so far appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. So far, nothing unusual has happened.
  2. ―How are your driving lessons? ―So far, pretty good.

Etymology

Compound of so + far. Compare Dutch zo ver.

This word in other languages

jusqu'à présent(Français)bislang(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "so far"?
"so far" is spelled S-O- -F-A-R.
What does "so far" mean?
As an adverb, "so far" means: Until now; previously; yet.
What is the origin of the word "so far"?
Compound of so + far. Compare Dutch zo ver. 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.

What to do next

You've looked up "so far". Here's where to go from here.

  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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