# soon

> English word · Adjective · IPA /suːn/ · frequency rank #482

## Definitions
1. Short in length of time from the present.
2. Early.
3. Used as an alternative to express 'to be going to' in the form 'to be soon to'.

## Etymology
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).
Cognate with Scots sone, sune, schone (“soon, quickly, at once”), North Frisian san (“immediately, at once”), dialectal Dutch zaan (“soon, before long”), Middle Low German sân (“right afterwards, soon”), Middle High German sān, son (“soon, then”), Old High German sār (“immediately, soon”). Compare also Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 (suns, “immediately, soon”), from Proto-Germanic *suniz (“soon”).

## Easily confused with
- **sun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sun)
- **sox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sox)
- **soy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-soy)
- **sow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sow)
- **SOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sos)
- **syn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-syn)
- **sop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sop)
- **sou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sou)
- **SSN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-ssn)
- **sor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sor)
- **sot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sot)
- **sov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sov)
- **stop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-stop)
- **sort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-sort)
- **spot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-spot)
- **soul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-soul)
- **spin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-spin)
- **soup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-soup)
- **span** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-span)
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-stan)

## Common misspellings (4)
`oson`, `sono`, `soonn`, `ssoon`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/soon