soon
/sun/adjective, adverb
soon is spelled S-O-O-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 209 times per million words in written English, the 483rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, soon means “Short in length of time from the present” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in soon?
| Letters | 4: S-O-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 209 times per million words; the 483rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 soon?
Soon appears 209 times per million words in written English, the 483rd 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 soon?
- UK /suːn/
- US /sun/
Soon 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: En-us-soon.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with soon
Also written: so on (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with soon?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as soon from its last stressed vowel (/un/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: onos.
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 soon
- sooner comparative
- soonest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does soon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Short in length of time from the present.
I need the soonest date you have available.
- 2
USEarly.
- 3
Used as an alternative to express 'to be going to' in the form 'to be soon to'.
Hurry up, the wedding is soon to start!
adverb
- 1
obsoleteImmediately, instantly.
- 2
Within a short time; quickly.
His wife is likely to come too after him, but we just do not know how soon after.
- 3
Early.
- 4
Readily; willingly; used with would, or some other word expressing will.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Soon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense within a short time:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bientôt |
| German | bald |
| Portuguese | logo, em breve |
| Spanish | pronto, aína, aínas, dentro de poco, próximamente |
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 soon come from?
From Middle English sone, from Old English sōna (“immediately, at once”), from Proto-West Germanic *sān(ō), from Proto-Germanic *sēna, *sēnô (“immediately, soon, then”), from *sa (demonstrative pronoun), from Proto-Indo-European *só (demonstrative pronoun).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).