English spellings/Catalogs/N

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Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list
Common misspellings

This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with N. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.

For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.^[e]

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N = én print

NÁAFI *Náffy

Nabôkov

*náck knáck

Nadìne: normally a as schwa, though Chuck Berry, in his song of that name, pronounces it "Naydìne"

nâdìr *nâydêer

Nagasàki

naìve innocent can be written naïve, *nŷ-êve, cf. nâve church

naìvity *nŷ-ìvity - or with French accent naïveté, *nî-yeevitây

nâked -íd

Náncỳ person; the town in France has the same spelling, but à, and stressed second syllable: *Nàn-cỳ

Nâomi

nâpàlm *nâypàm or *nəpàm

Napôleon

Náqba or Nákba

narcissístic

nárrative

narrâtor

NÁSA space = BrE Násser person

nâscent *nâysənt

Násh person = gnásh teeth

nāstiness

nāsty

Nâthan

nátional *náshnəl, cf. nâtion

Nátional Frònt

nâtionwîde one word *nayshənwîde

Nâtô, offically all capitals; Russian speakers have a tendency to say *Nâtə, sounding to BrE-speakers like *Nâter

nátural *nátchrəl

nâture *nâycher

nåught nothing *nåwt = nŏught zero: thèy wíll stóp at nåught; hòw many nŏughts dòes a quadríllion hàve?

nåughty bad *nåwty, cf. nŏughties 2000-2009

Nàûrû: according to Merriam-Webster, *Nà-ûrû; but *Nòwrû, much easier for anglophones, is usual; also *Nòw-rû

nåusea BrE *nåuzìa, AmE *nåusha

nåuseous -shəss

Návajo *Návaho

nâval navy = nâvel body

nâve church = knâve cad, cf. naìve, which can be written naïve innocent

nâvel stomach = nâval navy

návigate

Navratilôva - though the Czech pronunciation is very different

návvy

nâvy

nây no = nèigh horse = nè, nèe born

Nàzi -tsì, cf. nàsty, same vowels around reverse order of consonants

Nàzísm *Nàtsízm; some say Nàzìísm *Nàtsìyízm

nè, which can be written before a man's birth surname = nèe, which can be written before a woman's birth surname (French for 'born', they can both have French accents: né and née) = nèigh horse = nây no

Neánderthal: *Nê-ándert(h)àl

nearbŷ one word

nécessary: the stressed syllable is before the single consonant

necéssity

nêed require = knêad dough = knêed knee

né'er archaic, poetic version of néver

negôtiate -ôshì-

negotiâtions -ôshì- or -ôsì-

nèigh horse = nây no = nè, nèe born, cf. nîgh

nèighbour BrE; AmE nèighbor *nâber, rhymes (and makes minimal pairs) with lâbour/lâbor, sâbre/sâber, tâbor, câber and Fâber

Nêil = Nêill = Nêal = Nêale = Knêale = Nìall persons = knêel down, cf. níl zero

neîther BrE; AmE nêither

némesis

nêô-

neólogism nê-

nêô-Nàzi *nêeô-Nàatsì

Nepål

néphew -f- or -v-

Nérêíd

nërvous

Nèsmith = Nâismith

nét catch = nétt deductions

neûter

Nevāda

néver mînd is two words, though the Nirvana album is Nevermind

Névil = Néville

Nêvis Caribbean cf. Bén Névis Scotland

neŵ young = nû Greek

neŵbie = Neŵby

neŵbŏrn or neŵ-born

neŵcòmer one word

neŵel = Neŵell

newfángled one word

neŵ-fòund

Neŵfoundland BrE *Neŵfəndlənd

neŵly new = Neŵley person

Neŵ Ŏrleans is the local pronunciation (often -línz, as for example as sung by Fats Domino on "Walkin' to New Orleans"); the least local is Neŵ Orlêans, with optional a as schwa sounded

Neŵquay *Nûkey

neŵs -z, singular noun

neŵspaper -eŵss-; one word

neŵswörthy -eŵz-; one word

neŵt = Neŵt

néxt doôr two words

Ngaîo *Nŷô Màrsh

Niágara *Nî-ágra

Nìall = Nêil

Nicarágua -gyûə or -gwə

nîce good cf. Nìce France (= niêce), NYSE New York

nìche *nêesh; some AmE: *nítch

Nícholas *Níck(ə)ləs, cf. following and Jáck Nícklàùs (*Nícklòuse, but often called 'Níckləs')

níck steal = Níck person = kníck -nack

níckname one word; cf. kníckers, kníck-knácks

Nicosìa

niêce nephew = Nìce France

Nîgel *Nîjəl

Nigér country *Nìzhãiə(r), French style, though some pronounce it like the following

Nîger delta, river *Nîjə(r), minimal pair with Nîgel

Nigêria Nîj-

níggardly

nígger (taboo word)

nîgh near = Nŷe Aneurin

nîght dark = kníght Sir, chess *nîte

nîghtie

nîghtly = Knîghtley

nîghtmãre

nìhílíst, nîhilist: h can be silent or a brief consonantal y sound

níl: one l

nîne (911 nîne-òne-òne and 9/11 nîne-eléven are usually written as numbers)

Níneveh *Níniva

nînth

nirvàna *nêar-vàna

Níssán car

Níssen hut

nít creature, fool = knít wool

nîte for nîght is strictly commercial and unsuitable in other contexts

nítpick one word

nítwit one word

Niûè *Neŵay

nô negative cf. nº number

nób rich = knób handle

Nôbél prize - either syllable stressed

nôble birth, elevated

noblésse

nóctürne cf. türn

nô-gô ãrea

nôhow one word

noir BrE *nwà, AmE *nwàr

nóm de plûme *nómdəplûme

Nôme Alaska = gnôme dwarf

noménclature

nón- not, followed by a hyphen: not a word in its own right except in Latin phrases, e.g. persôna nón/nôn gràta; cf. nòne

nónchalant nónsh-

nóndescript no hyphen

nòne zero = nún God, cf. knôwn knew, nô-one nobody, nón- not

nònesuch

nonplússed no hyphen

nónsense

nonsénsical

nón-séquitur may be unhyphenated

noòk cf. knóck *nóck

noôn midday = Noône person

*noone is an incorrect form, probably of one of the following: nô òne, nô-òne, noôn, Noône

nô-òne nobody *nôwún, hyphenated, is an increasingly common alternative to the two-word form nô òne, though some do not like it and it must never be used when òne does not mean person but is a numeral: thére's nô òne síngle rêason

noôse cf. nòus

Nŏrfolk -fək

nŏrth unvoiced th; compound forms may be one word or hyphenated, but not two words: nŏrthêast or nŏrth-êast, nŏrthwést or nŏrth-wést

nŏrthern voiced th, unlike nŏrth

Nórwich *Nórridge, *Nórrich: traditionally rhymes with pórridge but nowadays the ch can be devoiced as in Ípswich (how soon before spelling pronunciation triumphs with "Naw-wich"?)

nôse face = knôws know

nôsey or nôsy

nôtewörthy one word

nòthing

nôtice -íss

nôticeable

notorîety

notŏrious

nŏught zero *nåwt = nåught nothing

nŏughties, Nŏughties 2000-2009, sounding like a plural of nåughty bad

noúrish

nòus rhymes with hòuse, cf. noôse

noûveau rìche *nûvô-rêesh

Nôva Scôtia *Nôvə Scôshə

nóvelist

novélla

nòwadays one word, no hyphens

nôwhere one word, cf. nô plâce

nth *énth

Nûala *Noôla

nûànce neŵ-

nûisance neŵss-

númb -m

númber 123

númber numb *númmer

nûmerous

nún God = nòne nought

núptials

Nûremberg

nút = Nútt

nútcase one word

nutrítion (û)

nyctophôbia

nýmph *nímf