Ne'er is a literary contraction meaning never, used chiefly in dialect, poetry, or archaic prose. It functions as a noun in historical or stylistic contexts, often appearing in phrases like “ne'er-do-well.” In modern usage, it signals the negation of time or action and is pronounced as a single syllable, embodying a clipped, archaic tone. The term is rare in everyday speech but common in quotations and verse.
Full pronunciation guide
