so
adverb · adjective · noun
Simple meaning
To an extent or degree as expressed.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sohIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsoʊ
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
usually followed by `that'
To an extent or degree as expressed
“He was so tired he could hardly stand.”
To a certain unspecified extent or degree
“I can only go so far with this student.”
To a very great extent or degree
Very (positive or negative clause).
To the (explicitly stated) extent.
Very much.
adjective
Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.
In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.
noun
A Chinese surname from Cantonese.
A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand.
One's exclusive romantic partner.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
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How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
To an extent or degree as expressedadverb
“He was so tired he could hardly stand.”
Certainadverb
“I can only go so far with this student.”
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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.