soon

The word “soon” means in a short time from now; before long. In plain terms, not right now, but not long from now either.

“Soon” is pronounced soon (/sun/ in IPA).

Here is “soon” used in a sentence: “We'll be leaving soon, so grab your coat.”

Words with a similar meaning to “soon” include anon, betimes, by and by, directly, dreckley and early.

The opposite of “soon” — its antonyms — are behind time, eventually, immediately, on time and punctually.

“Soon” is an adverb.

The word “soon” comes from Old English. From Old English sona, "immediately, at once," which originally meant right away rather than the milder "before long" sense it has now.

“Soon” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

Soon means a short time from now — it measures how quickly something will happen. Early means before the expected or usual time — it measures whether something is ahead of schedule. A train can arrive soon, in a few minutes, yet not be early if it is still running behind.

Both suggest little delay, but immediately means right now, without any gap at all. Soon allows a short wait — minutes, hours, even days — before something happens. 'Come immediately' demands action at once, while 'come soon' simply asks you not to leave it too long.

The main opposite of soon is later, meaning after more time has passed rather than shortly. Related antonyms include eventually, in the distant future and long from now. Where soon points to something close at hand in time, its opposites push the moment further away.

Soon is deliberately vague — it means before long, but sets no fixed limit. The exact span depends on context: 'back soon' might mean minutes, while 'a cure will come soon' could mean years. It always signals a short time relative to the situation, without naming an exact moment.