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
nâdír
naìve innocent can be written naïve, *nŷ-êve, cf. nâve church
naìvity *nŷ-ìvity - or with French accent naïveté, *nî-yeevitây
nâked -íd
Náncy person, cf. Nàncy France
Nâomi
Napôleon
narcissístic
nárrative
narrâtor
NÁSA space = BrE Násser person
nâscent *nâysənt
Násh person = gnásh teeth
nāstiness
nāsty
Nâthan
nátional *náshnəl, cf. nâtion
nâtionwîde one word
nátural *nátchrəl
nåught nothing *nåwt = nŏught zero: thèy wíll stóp at nåught; hòw many nŏughts dòes a quadríllion hàve?
nåughty bad *nåwty, cf. nŏughties 2000-2009
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
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 name = nèe, which can be written before a woman's birth name (French for 'born', they can both have French accents: né and née) = nèigh horse = nây no
neánderthal - nê-á
nearbŷ one word
nécessary
necéssity
nêed require = knêad dough = knêed knee
negôtiate -ôshì-
negotiâtions -ôshì- or -ôsì-
nèigh horse = nây no = nè, nèe born
nèighbour *nâber, rhymes with lâbour, sâbre, tâbor, câber and Fâber (AmE nèighbor)
Nêil = Nêill = Nêal = Nêale = Knêale persons = knêel down, cf. níl zero
neîther BrE; AmE nêither
némesis
nêô-
neólogism nê-
néphew -f- or -v-
nét catch = nétt deductions
neûter
Nevāda
néver mînd is two words
Nêvis Caribbean cf. Bén Névis Scotland
neŵ young = nû Greek
Neŵ Ŏrleans is the local pronunciation (often -línz); also Neŵ Orlêans, with optional a as schwa sounded
neŵbŏrn or neŵ-born adjective, noun one word
neŵcòmer one word
newfángled one word
neŵ-fòund
Neŵfoundland BrE *Neŵfəndlənd
neŵly new = Neŵley person
neŵs -z, singular noun
neŵspaper -eŵss-; one word
neŵswörthy -eŵz-; one word
néxt doôr two words
Ngaîo *Nŷô Màrsh
Niágara *Nî-ágra
Nicarágua -gûə has given way to -gwə
nîce good cf. Nìce France (= niêce), NYSE New York
nìche *nêesh
Nícholas *Níck(ə)ləs, cf. following, and Jáck Nícklàùs (*Nícklòuse, but often called 'Níckləs')
níck steal = Níck person = kníck -nack
níckname one word
Nicosìa
niêce nephew = Nìce France
Nîgel *Nîjəl
Nîger delta *Nîjə(r), cf. Nîgel
Nigér country *Nízhãiə(r), French style
Nigêria Nîj-
nîgh *nŷ
nîght dark *nîte; = kníght Sir, chess
nîghtie
nîghtly = Knîghtley
nîghtmãre
nìhílíst - h can be as 'y'
níl: one l
nìrvàna
nít creature, fool = knít wool
nîte for nîght is strictly commercial and unsuitable in other contexts
nítpick one word
nítwit one word
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
noménclature
nón- not, followed by a hyphen: not a word in its own right except in Latin phrases, e.g. persôna nón gràta
nónchalant nónsh-
nóndescript no hyphen
nòne zero = nún God, cf. knôwn knew, nô-one nobody
nònesuch
nonplússed no hyphen
nónsense
nonsénsical
nón séquitur may be hyphenated
noòk cf. knóck *nóck
noôn midday = Noône person, cf. nô-òne nobody
nô-òne nobody *nôwún, cf. no hyphen when òne does not mean person but is a numeral, as in 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 traditionally rhymes with pórridge but these days some devoice the ch as in Ípswich
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
nûisance nyoôss-
númb -m
númber 123
númber numb *númmer
nûmerous
nún God = nòne nought
Nûremberg
nút = Nútt
nútcase one word
nutrítion nû-
nyctophôbia
nýmph *nímf