I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one. Is nother a word? The answer is YES!
Nevertheless, I was surprised to see it in a novel I was recently reading.
I have long thought that nother should be a word. I use it in speech regularly.
Instead of saying “a whole other,” I tend to say “a whole nother,” as if splitting the word another into two.
This, of course, as dictionaries (which invariably include the word) often point out, is a misdivision of another. Another means “an other,” the “n” being present because the article “a/an” takes an “n” when it is followed by a word starting with a vowel sound—like “other.” If you put a word like “whole” in there, the article “a/an” is no longer followed by a vowel sound, and should thus be “a,” not “an.” And the “n” should definitely not get attached to a different word entirely!
And yet. I like the word nother. I say it all the time. I’m glad it’s a word. And thank you to Colson Whitehead for including it in his recent book Harlem Shuffle. Here’s what he wrote:
“. . . that was a whole nother story . . .”
Oh yeah. That’s how it’s done.
Is nother a word? Absolutely. Feel free to use it anywhere.
(Except in formal writing and speech. It might be out of place there.)
Do you use the word nother?
Yes. At first I thought, no. But I say, “nother mind” if I’ve just scheduled something and then need to cancel. But, personally, there’s something about the word I don’t like. Oh, well, nother mind.
Interesting! That usage isn’t in the dictionaries….
On the Eastern Shore where I grew up, one of the colloquialisms was “neither nother” as in, “I won’t do a neither nother thing.” I guess it gave emphasis!
I have not heard that one! Interesting!
I have used the word ‘nother’ on occasion. It’s a good one.
I agree. 🙂