Grammar.com
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Naught vs. Nought
Say it is uncommon or rare once and move on, you uselessly repeating it is for naught. more » ... To my knowledge: 'naught' in USA: Old/archaic version of 'nothing'. Only really used in some phrases. 'naught' in the UK: Old/archaic version of 'nothing'. Not used often.
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-difference-between-naught-and-nought
What is the difference between 'naught' and 'nought'? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Nought is an old fashioned word for the numeral zero. You might say nought instead of saying zero. Naught means ‘nothing’ as in “We searched all night but it was all for naught”.
It matters not OR it matters naught?
Believe it or not, these are historically the same word; in fact, there's a third variant, nought. Naught and even more so nought are considered archaic, though naught survives in a number of popular idioms, including "come to naught" (accomplish little or nothing, fail) and "all for naught" (expressing a wasted expenditure or useless effort). You may use any of these in this construction and be correct. However, in our time they do not all have exactly the same meaning, and though not is a variant of the older forms, it also has more modern meanings that are not the same. That is, there's more than one not running around, and both are applicable here. It matters not would most commonly be interpreted by modern readers to mean "It does not matter." In this case, not is an adverb modifying the verb matters, describing how 'it' matters: How does it matter? It matters not. Even if you mean it in the older sense of 'nothing,' most people will only see it as an adverb negating the sense of something mattering. It matters naught has a less ambiguous meaning, as naught can only mean 'nothing, zero, zilch'. In this sentence, naught is an adjective, describing it, and specifically the value, quanity, quality, or meaning of it: It = nothing, zero, zilch. Either is valid, but which you choose will depend on what you wish to convey. More on reddit.com
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November 27, 2013nought vs naught | WordReference Forums
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. ... What is the difference between these two words? When I'm working, my colleagues says "nought point two" when referring to a programme version e.g. version 0.2 So now that I've seen that you can also use "naught" I'm wondering if that's only ... More on forum.wordreference.com
Whats is the difference between 'nothing' and 'naught'?
I frequently use 'nothing' but I have never heard someone to say 'naught'.
Thank you. (:
The Cambridge Dictionary says: NAUGHT = old use or literary (also nought) nothing: (Examples) All our efforts were for naught. All their plans came to naught (= did not achieve anything). Grammarists says: Both naught and nought mean nothing, and in American English they are more or less ... More on italki.com
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December 9, 2014I understand the use of Naught But, but how about But Naught? (example)
Here the 'but' means 'only' since it is before 'naught'. You see similar construction in french with "ne ...que" or in Norwegian with "kunn". You could say "This gift is but a small token of my appreciation." The trick is that 'but' in this case already means 'naught but' or 'nothing but'. So you are right on "nothing more than nothing" but it doesn't flow and, while technically correct, reads ambiguously. More on reddit.com
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August 29, 2023Videos
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Names_for_the_number_0_in_English
Names for the number 0 in English - Wikipedia
September 28, 2025 - There is a distinction in British English between the two, but it is not one that is universally recognized. This distinction is that "nought" is primarily used in a literal arithmetic sense, where the number 0 is straightforwardly meant, whereas "naught" is used in poetical and rhetorical senses, ...
Inventingrealityediting
inventingrealityediting.com › 2023 › 02 › 03 › know-nothing-about-naught-vs-nought
Know nothing about ‘Naught vs. Nought’?
June 21, 2023 - Both words are spelling variants of the same pronoun.Both are a synonym for “nothing.” In mathematical terms, nought in British English also is another word for zero, as in He added a nought and bet £100 rather than £10.Interestingly, ...
Writing Explained
writingexplained.org › home › naught or nought – what’s the difference?
Naught or Nought – What’s the Difference? - Writing Explained
July 7, 2017 - For British audiences, who are ... stick with nothing instead. Is it naught or nought? Nought and naught are spelling variants of an archaic pronoun that means nothing....
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › nought
NOUGHT | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
3 days ago - NOUGHT meaning: 1. the number 0 or zero: 2. → naught old use or literary 3. the number 0 or zero: . Learn more.
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Believe it or not, these are historically the same word; in fact, there's a third variant, nought. Naught and even more so nought are considered archaic, though naught survives in a number of popular idioms, including "come to naught" (accomplish little or nothing, fail) and "all for naught" (expressing a wasted expenditure or useless effort). You may use any of these in this construction and be correct. However, in our time they do not all have exactly the same meaning, and though not is a variant of the older forms, it also has more modern meanings that are not the same. That is, there's more than one not running around, and both are applicable here. It matters not would most commonly be interpreted by modern readers to mean "It does not matter." In this case, not is an adverb modifying the verb matters, describing how 'it' matters: How does it matter? It matters not. Even if you mean it in the older sense of 'nothing,' most people will only see it as an adverb negating the sense of something mattering. It matters naught has a less ambiguous meaning, as naught can only mean 'nothing, zero, zilch'. In this sentence, naught is an adjective, describing it, and specifically the value, quanity, quality, or meaning of it: It = nothing, zero, zilch. Either is valid, but which you choose will depend on what you wish to convey.
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"It does not matter" or "It matters [as much as] nothing"?
Resourceaholic
resourceaholic.com › 2016 › 02 › nought.html
Resourceaholic: ♫ You say zero, I say nought ♫
February 17, 2016 - And don't forget 'nowt' in northern England (Lancashire, anyway) to mean nothing rather than zero. I've never spelt nought as naught, but I wonder if 'naught' used to have a 'nowt' pronunciation... I suspect 'naught' spellers are reflecting naughty which has the 'nought ' sound.
GRAMMARIST
grammarist.com › home › homophones › knot, nought, naught or not
Knot, nought, naught or not Homophones Spelling & Definition
May 15, 2022 - The word knot is derived from the Old English word cnotta, which means entwined cord or rope. Nought means nothing, and it also means the digit zero. Nought is a British spelling. The preferred American spelling is naught, which also means nothing.
Australian Writers' Centre
writerscentre.com.au › blog › qa-nought-or-naught
Q&A: Nought or naught? | Australian Writers' Centre
October 3, 2019 - Q: So it IS “nought”! You could have just said so. A: Naught so fast.
WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
nought vs naught | WordReference Forums
April 28, 2010 - Naught is used over nought in the US (I looked this up in the OED). Other uses of both spellings are archaic and literary. I find that using 'naught' is easier in scientific speech because it's simply less syllables ie. x_0 is either 'ex sub ...
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › nought
NOUGHT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of NOUGHT is nothing. How to use nought in a sentence.
TikTok
tiktok.com › c woody (@woodyling) | tiktok › respondendo a @kevint137 it should be noted that people in america do say naught and brits do say zero, but of course nought is more common in the uk and usually only used in a formulaic sequence or phrase in america. here's some more differences between different dialects of english:@professor woody @professor woody @professor woody #nought #zero #naught #nothing #not #0 #o #etymology #english #americanenglish #britishenglish #linguistics #woodyling
Respondendo a @kevint137 It should be noted that people in America do say naught and Brits do say zero, but of course nought is more common in the UK and usually only used in a formulaic sequence or phrase in America. Here's some more differences between different dialects of English:@Professor Woody @Professor Woody @Professor Woody #nought #zero #naught #nothing #not #0 #O #etymology #english #americanenglish #britishenglish #linguistics #woodyling | TikTok
TikTok video from C Woody (@woodyling): ... naught and Brits do say zero, but of course nought is more common in the UK and usually only used in a formulaic sequence or phrase in America....
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › naught
NAUGHT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
variants or less commonly nought · Synonyms of naught · : nothing · Their efforts came to naught. It was all for naught. naught 2 of 2 · variants or less commonly nought · 1 · : nothingness, nonexistence · 2 · : the arithmetical symbol ...
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The Cambridge Dictionary says: NAUGHT = old use or literary (also nought) nothing:
(Examples)
All our efforts were for naught.
All their plans came to naught (= did not achieve anything).
Grammarists says:
Both naught and nought mean nothing, and in American English they are more or less interchangeable (though naught is the more common spelling). Elsewhere, they are different. Nought is conventionally used in British English for the number zero.
In both British English and American English, naught is used in nonmathematical contexts to mean nothing, usually in the phrases "for naught" and "come to naught." "For nothing" would convey the same meaning as "for naught."
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'Naught' is an antiquated word meaning 'nothing'. You will rarely hear or read it, outside of Shakespeare and other old texts. You will never need to use it yourself.
The only time when this word occurs in everyday use is in British English, when it is sometimes in numbers to mean 'zero'. As a 'number', it's spelt 'nought'. For example, we sometimes refer to the decade from 2000 to 2010 as the 'noughties'.
Spiritual Reload
spiritualreload.com › 2023 › 07 › 27 › guest-post-naught-or-nought
Guest Post: Naught or Nought? – Spiritual Reload
March 25, 2025 - Instead of “naught” they use bad, worthless, mischievous, spiteful, evil, insolence, lust and wickedness. All of these different words instead of one consistent, precise word that gives a clear meaning. Instead of “nought” they use nothing, none, ruin, frustrated, trifle, ignored, disdained, empty, worthless, fail, and rejected.
ProWritingAid
prowritingaid.com › grammar › 1000018 › What-does-all-for-naught-mean
What does "all for naught" mean? - Writing Techniques
All for naught is an idiom that means "all for nothing", e.g. Kate didn't get the promotion, and she felt her hard work was all for naught. People often confuse all for naught with homophones for naught. Sometimes, people write "all for not" because "not" is similar to "nothing". Other times, writers misspell "naught" as "nought"....
Columbia Journalism Review
cjr.org › language_corner › language_corner_072814.php
Your head will spin: Uses of ‘naught,’ ‘aught,’ and ‘ought’ - Columbia Journalism Review
July 28, 2014 - But “naughty” originally meant “poor,” someone who had “naught.” ... As a rule of thumb, “nought” (or “aught”) is preferred when dealing with numbers, while “naught” is preferred outside of math.
HiNative
hinative.com › no › nought › what is the difference ...
🆚What is the difference between "nought" and "naught" ? "nought" vs "naught" ? | HiNative
April 1, 2020 - Synonym for nought @mborik_ The same word spelled two different ways That's all 🤷♀️|@mborik_ It isn't slang In fact, the root words of naught/nought are far older than the Viking-originated Nothing. The old English words are: Noewhit - something evil Aught - a nameless something Nowt - nothing, zero Nowt is still used in some parts of the UK.
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › nought
NOUGHT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
1 week ago - The informal term noughties for the decade of 2000–2009 comes from this sense.Nought is an alternate spelling of naught, which has the exact same meaning.Example: I had nought to do with breaking the lamp, but my mother still thought I was ...