Welcome to the Neopronouns Archive
This website is currently under construction.
The Neopronouns Archive is an online collection of English-language neopronouns sorted alphabetically and by theme. Please get in touch if you would like to provide feedback, ask a question, or recommend a set of neopronouns to add to the archive.
Keep in mind that this site was primarily made for my own personal use, and is not an exhaustive list of all neopronouns - it is simply a collection of neopronouns that I have found and wanted to collect. Feel free to modify these pronouns or create your own. There are no rules.
Navigation links
Click here to browse neopronouns alphabetically.
Click here to browse neopronouns by theme.
Click here to view other neopronoun resources.
Click here to contact the creator of this website. This will take you directly to my email address, "neopronouns.archive@gmail.com".
What is a neopronoun?
Simply put, a neopronoun is any personal pronoun that is not commonly used in a given language. In English, neopronouns are usually considered to be any personal pronoun other than he, she, or they. Neopronouns are often made and used to express a connection to a nonbinary gender identity, a connection to a xenogender identity, a disconnect from the concept of gender, or simply because the neopronoun user likes the way they sound. Neopronouns, like other pronouns, are not exclusive to certain gender identities. Any person of any gender can use neopronouns.
How long have neopronouns been around?
The word neopronoun literally means "new pronoun," and most neopronouns have only gained popularity very recently, but pronouns other than he, she, and they have been recorded as far back as the 1850s. The gender-neutral pronoun thon was coined in 1858 by Charles Crozat Converse, according to Merriam-Webster. Thon is often cited as one of the earliest English neopronouns, and while it obviously never caught on, it is proof that the concept of neopronouns came into being much earlier than many people think.
This article by Emil Tinkler briefly outlines some of the oldest recorded neopronouns used in English.
How do you use neopronouns?
This tumblr post by sleepless-in-starbucks provides a comprehensive guide to using neopronoun sets. Generally, neopronouns are used the same way as any other personal pronoun set. They are just different words used in place of the usual he/him, she/her, and they/them pronoun sets.
For example, let's look at the pronoun set ae/aer/aer/aers/aerself.
The first pronoun in the set, ae, is the subjective pronoun. It is used in the same place as he, she, or they in a sentence. Like this:
Ae went to the library yesterday.
The second pronoun, aer, is the objective pronoun. It is used in the same place as him, her, or them in a sentence. Like this:
I was there with aer.
The third pronoun, which is also aer, is the possessive adjective. It is used in the same place as his, her, or their in a sentence. Like this:
Someone almost took aer bag by accident.
The fourth pronoun, aers, is the possessive pronoun. It is used in the same place as his, hers, or theirs in a sentence. Like this:
Luckily, I said, "that bag is aers!"
The fifth pronoun, aerself, is the reflexive pronoun. It is used in the same place as himself, herself, themself, or themselves in a sentence. Like this:
Then I had to go, so ae walked home by aerself.
If you are ever unsure how to use or pronounce someone else's neopronouns, it's always best to ask how the person wants the pronouns to be used or pronounced. If you are the one using neopronouns, you get to decide how they should be used! There are also several sites linked in the "other resources" section of this page that might help you learn and practice how to use neopronoun sets.
Check out these other neopronouns resources:
Pronoun-provider's Tumblr account: A tumblr blog archiving as many sets of pronouns as possible. This is the source of many of the pronouns found on this Neopronoun Archive.
The Pronoun Dressing Room: A website that allows you to sub any pronoun set into a selection of texts. Useful for deciding which pronoun sets you would like to go by, or getting accustomed to reading neopronouns.
Practice with Pronouns: A website that allows you to practice using a pronoun set of your choice in a variety of sample sentences.
How to use neopronouns: A tumblr post explaining how to use neopronoun sets.
The History of Thon, the Forgotten Gender-Neutral Pronoun: A Merriam-Webster article looking at the history of one of the oldest recorded English neopronouns.
The History of Neopronouns: An article that briefly outlines some of the oldest recorded neopronouns used in English.
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