Already

How to spell already

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce already

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does already mean?

1. adverbBy this or that time; previously, or sooner than expected.

Already in a sentence

• The train had already left when we reached the platform.

• She has already paid the deposit on the flat.

Where does already come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grew out of the Old English phrase 'eall gearu', meaning 'all ready' or 'completely prepared', which combined 'eall' (all) with 'gearu' (ready, prepared). By the Middle English period the two words had fused into a single adverb, 'alredy', whose meaning shifted from 'fully prepared' to 'by this time' or 'so soon', the sense it still carries. The spelling kept only one 'l' when the words merged, which is the heart of the modern trap: the standalone phrase 'all ready' (meaning everyone or everything is prepared) keeps its double 'l' and its space, while the single adverb 'already' drops one 'l'. The same fusion process gave English 'although', 'altogether', and 'always', all of which lost a letter when 'all' was compressed. Recognising that 'already' is the time word and 'all ready' is the preparation phrase is the key to spelling it correctly.

How the word is built

• al- (reduced form of all)
• ready (prepared)