syne

/saɪn/

//saɪn// adv

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

"syne" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“syne” is uncommon English (frequency #60,506 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,506
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subsequently; then.

Corpus desk

Index EN-syne · syne · English

syne · rank #60,506 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,506
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH tala

Nearest frequency peer: tala (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “syne”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “syne” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for syne
PropertyValue
Headwordsyne
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/saɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#60,506
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “syne” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).synefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “tala” (#60,507), “swiftness” (#60,503), “surnamed” (#60,502). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “syne” is #60,506. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

syne is uncommon English at frequency #60,506 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /saɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for syne, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English syne, syn, sin, a contracted form of sithen (“since”). More at sithen. The correct English form is syne, spelled S-Y-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Subsequently; then.
  2. 2
    Late.
  3. 3
    Before now; ago.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At last he comes, and on his knee The wee tots a'thegether cling, An' ilk yen strives to catch his ee, Syne tugs his cwoat an' bids him sing.
  2. Sic a pair o' friends aa nivvor seed either before or syne.

Etymology

From Middle English syne, syn, sin, a contracted form of sithen (“since”). More at sithen.

Synonyms

ensuinglyfollowinglythen

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "syne"?
"syne" is spelled S-Y-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /saɪn/.
What does "syne" mean?
As an adverb, "syne" means: Subsequently; then.
How do you pronounce "syne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "syne" is /saɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "syne"?
From Middle English syne, syn, sin, a contracted form of sithen (“since”). More at sithen. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "syne", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tala#60,507stam#60,484warr#60,559Sava#60,444

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list