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earlier

adverb · adjective

Form of early , comparative of early.

Simple meaning

At a time before now, or happening sooner than something else

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

urleeer

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɝliɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. Previously; before now; sooner

adjective

  1. Occurring previously

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

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Common Patterns and Combinations

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earlier work

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: occurring previously

pastTechnical

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.