The synthesis and characterization of a universal and fluorescent nucleoside, 4-cyanoindole-2'-deoxyribonucleoside (4CIN), and its incorporation into DNA is described. 4CIN is a highly efficient fluorophore with quantum yields >0.90 in water. When incorporated into duplex DNA, 4CIN pairs equivalently with native nucleobases and has uniquely high quantum yields ranging from 0.15 to 0.31 depending on sequence and hybridization contexts, surpassing that of 2-aminopurine, the prototypical nucleoside fluorophore. 4CIN constitutes a new isomorphic nucleoside for diverse applications.