English spellings/Catalogs/N
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| 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]
N = én print
NÁAFI *Náffy
*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, officially *Nà-ûrû; but *Nòwrû, much easier for anglophones, is more common
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