Anything is an indefinite pronoun or determiner meaning ‘whatever thing or things’ in general, or ‘a thing of any kind’ in negative or interrogative contexts. It also functions as a noun in phrases like “the smallest thing,” and as part of fixed expressions. It denotes non-specificity and inclusivity, and is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to objects, events, or ideas without naming them.
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"I’ll take anything you don’t want."
"Is there anything else you need from the store?"
"She’ll do anything to win."
"There isn’t anything in there that I recognize."
Anything traces to Old English ænhwilc ‘any’ + -thing, a combination of the general determiner ænhwic (related to ane ‘one’ and wic? ‘which’) and the noun -thing meaning ‘thing, matter, affair.’ The sense evolved from “any one thing” to the indefinite pronoun/determiner we use today. In Middle English, forms like eny thing appeared in phrases meaning ‘any single thing,’ gradually compressing to the single word anything by Early Modern English. The word’s standing as a free morpheme is tied to the general-purpose pronoun/quantifier system, overlapping with other indefinite determiners like anything, anyone, anywhere. Its broad use in negative and interrogative clauses (e.g., “There isn’t anything,” “Did you see anything?”) solidified its place as a staple of everyday English. Over centuries, anything extended to idiomatic expressions (“as anything,” “do anything”) and to emphasis in colloquial speech, while remaining one of the most frequent indefinite pronouns in contemporary English. First known use attested in the medieval period in texts that express general non-specificity, with robust development in Early Modern English usage in everyday speech and writing.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "anything" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "anything" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "anything"
-ing sounds
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Anything is pronounced with stress on the first syllable: /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/. The first vowel is a short front lax ‘eh’ sound (as in ‘pen’ without the r-colored quality), the middle /θ/ is the voiceless dental fricative as in ‘think,’ followed by the schwa-like reduced vowel /ɪ/ in some rapid talk, and ends with the velar nasal /ŋ/. In connected speech, the t is often silent or softened, so you might hear /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/ or /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/ with light assimilation in casual speech. Mouth position: lips relaxed, tongue tip lightly on the upper teeth for /θ/, jaw drops slightly for the /ɛn/ vowel. IPA: US/UK/AU share /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/ with minor vowel length differences in fast speech.
Common errors include substituting /ð/ or /d/ for the /θ/ sound (e.g., saying /ˈɛn.dɪŋ/ or /ˈɛn.ðiŋ/), and misplacing the stress by saying /ˈæ.nɪ.θɪŋ/ or stressing the second syllable. Another frequent issue is swallowing or truncating the final /ŋ/ or adding an extra syllable like /ˈæ.ni.θɪŋ/. Corrective tips: place the tongue tip lightly between the upper and lower teeth to produce the dental /θ/, keep the final /ŋ/ strong and nasal without releasing into /g/, and maintain primary stress on the first syllable. Practice minimal pairs to feel tension differences, such as anything vs. ankle-thing? (for contrast only).
US, UK, and AU all share /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/ core, but rhoticity and vowel quality differ. US typically has a non-rhotic or loosely rhotic tendency in casual speech; the /ɪ/ in the second syllable may be a shorter, clipped vowel in fast US speech. UK tends to a clearer /ɪ/ and can feature a slightly tensed vowel in some speakers. Australian English often has a more centralized or schwa-like /ə/ in the second syllable in rapid speech and a longer, more open /æ/ or /ɛ/ in some contexts, though standard Australian pronunciation remains /ˈɛn.θɪŋ/. Hope to hear you emphasize the dental fricative /θ/ consistently across accents.
The difficulty lies in the dental fricative /θ/ and the quick transition from /ɛn/ to /θ/ and then to the velar nasal /ŋ/. Many ears expect a 'th' sound that feels unusual to non-native speakers, and the reduction of vowels in fast speech can blur the /ɪ/ to a schwa. Additionally, final /ŋ/ can merge with other nasal endings when speech is rapid, sometimes sounding like /n/ or /ŋg/. Focus on keeping the tongue at the upper teeth for /θ/, then relax the jaw for /ɪ/ and prepare the soft palate for /ŋ/.
Why is the first syllable of anything stressed in many dialects even when phrases place emphasis elsewhere? The primary stress on the first syllable /ˈɛn/ helps the word stand out in sentences (e.g., “I’ll take anything”). The timing of this stress creates a distinct rhythm that helps listeners parse the indefinite pronoun quickly, especially before a following verb or noun phrase. In connected speech, you’ll often hear the first syllable retained with emphasis even in rapid phrases.
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