n
n — noun
1. the fourteenth alphabet letter in English, which can be written in its capital s
the fourteenth alphabet letter in English, which can be written in its capital shape (N) or its small shape (n), and which usually stands for a nasal sound made by pushing breath out through the nose.
The young pupil practised writing a neat capital N in her notebook.
capital N as the written shape of the letter
Maeve forgot to add the second n when she spelled the word 'connect'.
double n inside a common English word
The word 'banana' has three a's and two n's, but only one b.
In Spanish class, Diego learned that an n with a tilde mark above it makes a 'ny' sound.
- capital N
the uppercase form only
- small n
the lowercase form only
- the letter en
the spoken name of the letter, sounding like 'en'
文法句型
the letter n
capital N / small n
用法筆記
Often referred to as 'the letter N', and the plural form is usually written 'n's' or 'N's' with an apostrophe to avoid confusion (e.g. 'There are two n's in winner.'). The letter usually stands for a nasal sound, except when it is silent after the letter m, as in 'autumn' or 'column'.
常見錯誤
2. a written short form for the direction 'north', used on maps, road signs, weathe
a written short form for the direction 'north', used on maps, road signs, weather reports, and address labels to save space.
The road sign showed N for the way to the airport in the next town.
N on a road sign meaning the direction north
Amelia lives at 25 Park Road N, just behind the old library.
N at the end of a street name as a short form of North
The weather map used a small arrow with N to show wind coming from the north.
The compass face had four large letters: N, E, S, and W.
- North
the full spelled-out form used in everyday speech and writing
- S
written short form for 'south', the opposite direction
文法句型
N as an abbreviation in addresses or weather reports
用法筆記
Almost only seen in writing, especially in addresses, maps, signs, and weather forecasts. When people speak, they normally say the full word 'north' instead of 'N'. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the alphabet letter itself rather than the direction.
常見錯誤
3. in a maths problem or formula, a letter that takes the place of any whole number
in a maths problem or formula, a letter that takes the place of any whole number whose exact size has not yet been chosen, often standing for how many items there are or for the position of an item in a list.
The teacher wrote 'let n equal the number of pupils in the room' on the board.
let n = a particular value when starting a maths problem
Darius wrote a short formula that worked for any whole number n.
n stands for any whole number in a general formula
Sofia showed the class that if n equals 5, then n plus 1 equals 6.
Kasia counted the steps and called the total n so she could write a rule for any staircase.
文法句型
let n = ...
n + 1, n − 1
for any n
用法筆記
Usually written in italics in textbooks (n), and almost always paired with whole numbers. The choice of the letter n is a convention; mathematicians often pick n, m, or k for whole-number variables and x or y for general numbers.
4. an informal way of writing some unspecified amount or count, most often in the f
an informal way of writing some unspecified amount or count, most often in the fixed phrase 'for the n-th time' to mean 'after many earlier times'.
Ravindra reminded the children for the n-th time to put their shoes by the door.
for the n-th time meaning 'after many reminders'
The film has been shown on television n times since it came out in 1995.
n times standing in for an uncountably large number
After waiting n hours at the airport, Tamar finally boarded the late evening flight.
Feng explained the same rule to the younger students for the n-th time without losing patience.
文法句型
n times
n hours / n days
用法筆記
This use grew out of the maths sense but is now spoken or written without any real number in mind. The phrase 'for the n-th time' is by far the most common pattern; outside of that, 'n' as a vague amount is rare.
常見錯誤
5. a written short form for the grammar word 'noun', used in dictionaries and gramm
a written short form for the grammar word 'noun', used in dictionaries and grammar lists to label words that name people, places, or things.
Next to the word 'table' the dictionary printed a small n., meaning it is a noun.
n. printed after a word to mark its grammar class
Élise highlighted every n. in her vocabulary list to focus on naming words first.
using n. in a study list to pick out nouns
The grammar book used short labels such as n., v., and adj. to save space on each line.
The teacher told the class that 'n.' after a word always points to a noun, never to a verb.
- noun
the full spelled-out word used in speaking and in running text
文法句型
n. after a word in a dictionary entry
用法筆記
Almost only seen in dictionaries, grammar exercises, and word lists, where it is often followed by a full stop ('n.'). Speakers never say 'n' aloud here — they say the full word 'noun' instead.
6. the capital-letter mark used in chemistry to stand for the gas nitrogen, which m
the capital-letter mark used in chemistry to stand for the gas nitrogen, which makes up about four-fifths of the air around us.
The chemistry teacher wrote N₂ on the board to show that nitrogen comes in pairs.
N₂ as the standard chemistry mark for nitrogen gas
Ammonia has the formula NH₃, where N stands for nitrogen and H for hydrogen.
N inside a chemical formula such as NH₃
Most plant food packets list N, P, and K to show the main feeding parts inside.
Isabela checked the bag of fertiliser and saw that the N number was higher than the others.
- nitrogen
the full English name for the gas; used in running text rather than in formulas
文法句型
N in a chemical formula such as NH3, N2
用法筆記
Always written as a capital N in chemistry, since lower-case letters in formulas mean something different. Most often seen on plant-food packets (N for nitrogen, P for phosphorus, K for potassium) and in school chemistry formulas.
常見錯誤
n — adjective
- npositive
- nnercomparative
- nnestsuperlative
1. written before a place name or after a road number to mean that something is in
written before a place name or after a road number to mean that something is in the northern part of an area, or runs toward the northern side.
Their cousins moved to N London last spring and now live close to a small park.
N before a London area name meaning the northern part
The hikers chose the N route around the lake because it was shorter than the southern path.
N route as a short label for the northern path
Ayana booked a room on the N side of the hotel because it was quieter at night.
The package label read 'N Yorkshire' instead of the full county name.
- S
written short form for 'south' or 'southern'
文法句型
N + place name
the N side / the N route
用法筆記
Used only in writing on maps, postal labels, hotel directories, and similar lists; speakers do not say 'N' aloud — they say 'north' or 'northern' instead. Often the full word 'North' is preferred when there is room.
n — conjunction
1. a casual written short form of 'and', used between two short words or names to g
a casual written short form of 'and', used between two short words or names to give a relaxed feel, as in 'rock n roll' or 'fish n chips'.
Amani bought a bag of fish n chips on the way home from the cinema.
n inside the fixed phrase fish n chips for 'fish and chips'
The old shop sign still read 'Salt n Pepper' in bright pink letters.
n as a relaxed link between two short words on a sign
Christopher made a playlist of rock n roll songs for the long drive south.
The food truck offered burgers n shakes for a flat price of seven pounds.
文法句型
X n Y in casual writing
rock n roll
用法筆記
Used in casual writing such as shop signs, menus, song titles, and brand names. In formal writing, always use the full word 'and'. The short form is sometimes written with apostrophes on both sides ('n'), but the simple 'n' is also common.
常見錯誤
n — abbreviation
1. the short written label 'n', placed after a word in a dictionary or grammar list
the short written label 'n', placed after a word in a dictionary or grammar list to show that the word is a noun.
Tamar saw 'n' next to the word 'kitchen' in her pocket dictionary.
n placed after a word in a dictionary entry
The vocabulary sheet used 'n' for nouns and 'v' for verbs in two clear columns.
n and v shown side by side as grammar labels
Maeve copied every entry marked 'n' into a fresh list of names for things.
The grammar app showed a small 'n' before the meaning of each naming word.
- noun
the full word, used in speech and in any context with room for it
文法句型
n after a word in a dictionary entry
用法筆記
Almost always seen in dictionaries, language apps, and study lists where space is limited. Speakers do not say 'n' aloud — they say the full word 'noun'.