What does another mean?
"Another" is one of the most frequently used words in English, functioning both as a determiner and as a pronoun. As a determiner, it combines with singular countable nouns to indicate either an additional item of the same kind — "another coffee", "another attempt" — or a different item of that kind, as in "that's another matter". As a pronoun, it stands alone: "one succeeded where another failed". The word is essentially a fossilised compound of "an" plus "other", which explains its single-syllable stress pattern and its close kinship with "other". It appears constantly in everyday speech, from offers of refills to expressions of repetition such as "one after another". Because it always implies comparison with something previously mentioned, it carries a natural sense of continuation or substitution. Its flexibility across formal and informal contexts makes it indispensable, and its deceptively simple form conceals a long history within the Germanic roots of the language.
Denoting an additional or different person or thing of the same type as one already mentioned.
"He asked for another chance to prove himself."
Typically used with singular countable nouns.
A further or different person or thing of the same type.
"One traveller arrived early; another came hours late."
"Another" is literally "an other" — it's just the word "other" with "an" fused onto it, a compound so old that English speakers stopped noticing the seam.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of another
"Another" derives from Old English, formed by fusing the indefinite article "an" with "other" into a single word, originally written as "an other" or "anothre" in Middle English texts. It belongs to the Germanic family of words built on the root underlying "other", making it cognate with related forms in other Germanic languages. The compound became fully merged into one word over the medieval period, and its modern spelling and pronunciation were settled well before the early modern era.
How another is actually used
Common in all registers. In informal British English, "another" can occasionally be heard before plural nouns in phrases like "another few days", though this is nonstandard and best avoided in formal writing.
Easily confused with another
"Other" refers to the remaining one(s) of a set already identified, while "another" introduces an additional or different one beyond those mentioned.