Neitherused to show that both options are excluded or untrue is used to say that not one thing and not the other is true, chosen, or includedmade part of a group or allowed inside. It is a common word in everyday English, especiallymore in this case than in others; particularly in pairs like “neither…nor.”
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈniːðər/
Easy pronunciation: NEE-thur (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Neither Meaning
Used to say that both options are excluded.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Not either; not one of two.
Example: Neither answer is correct.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using neither when you mean either.
- Forgetting that neither usually refers to two things, not more than two.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does neither mean?
Neither means not one thing and not the other. It is used when both choices are excluded.
Is neither the same as either?
No. Either is used when one of two things is possible, while neither means not one and not the other.
How is neither used in a sentence?
It often appears in phrases like “neither…nor,” as in “Neither John nor Maria came.”
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
