so-so
/ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/
"so-so" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“so-so” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Neither good nor bad; tolerable, passable, indifferent.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | so-so |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “so-so” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for so-so is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Neither good nor bad; tolerable, passable, indifferent.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for so-so, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English so so, from Old English swā swā, equivalent to so + so. Compare Dutch zozo (“so-so”), German soso (“so-so”), Norwegian så som så (“so-so”). The correct English form is so-so, spelled S-O---S-O.
Definition
- 1Neither good nor bad; tolerable, passable, indifferent.
Etymology
From Middle English so so, from Old English swā swā, equivalent to so + so. Compare Dutch zozo (“so-so”), German soso (“so-so”), Norwegian så som så (“so-so”).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “so-so”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-O---S-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.