And

How to spell and

3 letters · 1 syllable

3 of the 26 people asked to spell and in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

How to pronounce and

What does and mean?

1. conjunctionA connecting word used to join words, phrases, or clauses, indicating addition.

And in a sentence

• I'd like tea and a biscuit.

• Pick up bread and milk on your way home.

Where does and come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is one of the oldest and most heavily used words in English, inherited directly from Old English 'and' (also spelled 'ond'), which already meant 'in addition' or 'also'. It traces back to a Proto-Germanic form reconstructed as 'unda', and relatives survive across the family in Old Frisian and Old Saxon 'and', Dutch 'en', and German 'und'. Some scholars link it further to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning roughly 'thereupon' or 'facing', the same idea seen in Latin 'ante' (before) and Greek 'anti' (against). The spelling has stayed remarkably stable for more than a thousand years, which is why it is among the easiest words to write. Its short, three-letter shape and constant use mean it was learned early and almost never misspelled by adults.

How the word is built

• and (a single native root, not built from a prefix or suffix)