Practice
Nowhere or no where: which is correct?
The bus was full, so there was nowhere to sit. We looked for another stop, but the bus went nowhere near our street. In both sentences, nowhere is one word.
Use nowhere as one word when a sentence means in no place, to no place, or no place is available.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
There is nowhere to park. /ðer ɪz ˈnoʊwer tə pɑrk/
The short answer
Write nowhere as one word when it means in no place, to no place, or no place. If you need a noun phrase, use no place instead: There is no place to park. Do not use no where for the ordinary adverb.
We had nowhere to charge our phones.
Why it works: Nowhere means that no suitable place was available for charging the phones.
5 more examples
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There is nowhere to leave a bicycle near the entrance.
Nowhere means that no suitable location is available.
Not this:There is
no placenear the entrance for a bicycle. What changes: No place is a noun phrase. It gives the same general idea with place as the noun. -
After the store closed, we had nowhere to buy batteries.
The phrase says that no place was open for that action.
Not this:We had
no place to buy batteriesafter the store closed. What changes: This is possible, but nowhere is the more usual compact adverb in this pattern. -
The path goes nowhere near the river.
Nowhere strengthens the negative idea: the path is not close to the river at all.
Not this:The path is
near the river. What changes: Without nowhere, the sentence gives the opposite location. -
Nowhere in the instructions does it say to print the form.
The opening adverbial phrase means in no part of the instructions.
Not this:The instructions
say to print the formon page two. What changes: This sentence gives a positive statement, so it does not use the negative adverb nowhere. -
The discussion is going nowhere, so we need a clearer question.
Here nowhere is figurative. It means the discussion is not making progress.
Not this:The discussion
moved forwardafter we asked a clearer question. What changes: Moved forward describes progress, which is the opposite idea.
Read the full guide
Start with the meaning. Ask whether the sentence says that a place does not exist or that an action cannot happen in any place. If the answer is yes, nowhere is usually the word you need. It is an adverb, so it often follows be, go, have, get, or a similar verb.
Use one word for no place
Nowhere is an adverb. It tells you that an action cannot happen in any place or that something is not in any place. Write it as one word when you mean no place in this adverbial sense.
There was nowhere to put the wet umbrella.
The sentence means there was no available place for the umbrella.
Complete the sentence: We had ___ to sit while we waited.
Use nowhere: We had nowhere to sit while we waited.
Use no place when place is the noun
No place can work when the sentence needs the noun place. This form is less compact, but it is useful when you want to describe or count the place itself. Do not create the spelling no where to do this job.
No place in the room was warm enough.
Place is the thing being described by in the room and warm enough.
There was nowhere in the room to sit comfortably.
Nowhere tells us that no suitable location existed for sitting.
Describe movement or direction
Nowhere often follows a verb that describes movement, direction, or progress. It can mean to no destination, or it can show that something does not come close to a place.
This road goes nowhere after the bridge.
The road has no useful destination after the bridge.
Choose the one-word adverb: The trail leads ___ near the lake.
Use nowhere: The trail leads nowhere near the lake.
Use it at the beginning for emphasis
An opening phrase with nowhere can emphasize that information does not appear in any part of something. In formal writing, the verb often comes before the subject after this opening phrase.
Nowhere in the contract does it mention a fee.
The phrase means that no part of the contract mentions a fee.
Which spelling begins this sentence: ___ on the label does it list the material?
Use nowhere: Nowhere on the label does it list the material.
Recognize the figurative meaning
Nowhere can describe a plan, conversation, or process that is not making progress. The spelling stays the same even though nobody is travelling to a physical place.
We are getting nowhere because the details do not match.
Getting nowhere means failing to make progress.
Does nowhere mean a physical location in We are getting nowhere?
No. It means the work is not making progress.
Before you go
Remember this
Use nowhere as one word for no place, in no place, or to no place. Use no place when the sentence needs place as a noun. If you can replace the idea with not in any place, nowhere is a useful choice.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Nowhere or no where: which is correct?"
Is nowhere one word or two?
Write nowhere as one word when it means in no place, to no place, or no place is available. In ordinary standard English, no where is not the spelling for this adverb. Use no place if the sentence needs place as a noun.
There is nowhere to leave a bicycle near the entrance.
Can I say there is nowhere to sit?
Yes. There is nowhere to sit means that no suitable seat or location is available. The pattern is common when you explain that an action cannot happen because no place is available.
There is no place near the entrance for a bicycle.
What does nowhere near mean?
Nowhere near means far from or not nearly. In The hotel is nowhere near the station, the speaker means the hotel is not close to the station. Keep nowhere as one word in this phrase.
After the store closed, we had nowhere to buy batteries.
Why does the verb come before the subject in Nowhere in the report does it say...?
A negative adverbial phrase at the beginning can cause inversion in formal English. After Nowhere in the report, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject: does it say. The meaning is that no part of the report says it.
We had no place to buy batteries after the store closed.
Can nowhere describe a lack of progress?
Yes. In phrases such as getting nowhere or going nowhere, nowhere is figurative. It means that a plan, discussion, or task is not making progress. The spelling remains one word.
The path goes nowhere near the river.