Commonly used words in written English - letter N with 209 words, sorted by frequency
The list of words starting with the letter N that occur frequently in written English is based on an analysis of the Google Books Ngram (a collection compiled by Peter Norvig in 2012, containing close to one trillion words).
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Word Frequency is calculated as the number of occurrences in one million words.
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Word Definition is sourced from the WordNet dictionary. You'll have to look up each word page for its complete definition and Part of Speech (POS) categories.
| Word | Frequency | Definition |
|---|---|---|
6,080 | (adverb) negation of a word or group of words | |
1,891 | (adverb) referring to the degree to which a certain quality is present; (noun) a negative | |
1,453 | (adjective) not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered | |
913 | (adverb) in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events; (noun) the momentary present | |
579 | (verb) give numbers to; (noun) the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals | |
493 | (adverb) not ever; at no time in the past or future | |
416 | (verb) assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to; (noun) a language unit by which a person or thing is known | |
372 | (verb) have or feel a need for; (noun) a condition requiring relief | |
361 | (adjective) of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country; (noun) a person who owes allegiance to that nation | |
352 | (noun) the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized | |
314 | (verb) make mention of; (noun) a brief written record | |
302 | (adverb) in no respect; to no degree; (noun) a quantity of no importance | |
294 | (adverb) at the time or occasion immediately following; (adjective) (of a day of the week) nearest (or nearest but one) after the present moment | |
282 | (adjective) absolutely essential | |
258 | (noun) the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside | |
240 | (adverb) in a northern direction; (adjective) situated in or facing or moving toward or coming from the north | |
233 | (conjunction) used in negative phrases, especially after neither, to introduce the second member in a series, or any subsequent member | |
231 | (noun) the people who live in a nation or country | |
219 | (adjective) in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature; (noun) someone regarded as certain to succeed | |
213 | (preposition) adjacent to; close by; not far from; nigh; (adverb) near in time or place or relationship | |
196 | (adverb) negation of a word or group of words | |
168 | (noun) the 14th letter of the Roman alphabet | |
157 | (adverb) in such a manner as could not be otherwise | |
149 | (adjective) conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal | |
141 | (adjective) necessary for relief or supply | |
130 | (adverb) (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but | |
124 | (conjunction) not either; generally used to introduce the first of two or more coordinate clauses of which those that follow begin with 'nor'; (adjective) not either; not one or the other | |
117 | (verb) communicate with and within a group; (noun) an interconnected system of things or people | |
116 | (noun) the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt | |
107 | (adjective) characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin; (noun) an indigenous person who was born in a particular place | |
107 | (adverb) not at all or in no way; (adjective) not any | |
105 | (verb) notice or perceive; (noun) an announcement containing information about an event | |
100 | (noun) information about recent and important events | |
98 | (noun) verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument | |
98 | (adjective) widely known and esteemed | |
95 | (adjective) characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features; (noun) a reply of denial | |
92 | (noun) the month following October and preceding December | |
85 | (adjective) in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line; (noun) a dialect of Middle English that developed into Scottish Lallans | |
79 | (adjective) pleasantly new or different; (noun) an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story | |
79 | (adjective) amounting to a large indefinite number | |
78 | (verb) make as a net profit; (adjective) remaining after all deductions | |
74 | (adverb) despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession) | |
73 | (noun) a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements | |
70 | (adjective) denoting a quantity consisting of one more than eight and one less than ten; (noun) the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one | |
69 | (noun) a general inclusive concept | |
66 | (verb) make or become more narrow or restricted; (adjective) not wide | |
66 | (noun) the condition of being essential or indispensable | |
60 | (adverb) in an essential manner | |
59 | (adjective) of or belonging to or constituting the hereditary aristocracy especially as derived from feudal times | |
56 | (adverb) as might be expected | |
54 | (adjective) consisting of or characterized by the telling of a story; (noun) a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program | |
54 | (adjective) (weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy | |
51 | (verb) kiss, embrace, or fondle with sexual passion; (noun) the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body | |
51 | (verb) try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury; (noun) one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician) | |
49 | (noun) sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound) | |
46 | (adjective) coming next after the eighteenth in position; (noun) position 19 in a countable series of things | |
44 | (noun) any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body | |
43 | (adverb) under normal conditions | |
42 | (adverb) as follows | |
41 | (noun) a discussion intended to produce an agreement | |
40 | (adjective) being perceived or observed | |
39 | (adjective) of or relating to the nervous system | |
37 | (adjective) having skin rich in melanin pigments;; (noun) a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today | |
37 | (adjective) pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance; (noun) a city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean; the leading resort on the French Riviera | |
36 | (noun) an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare | |
36 | (verb) advance the forward part of with caution; (noun) the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals | |
36 | (noun) the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm | |
35 | (noun) a connecting point at which several lines come together | |
35 | (noun) a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction | |
32 | (verb) live or be located as a neighbor; (noun) a person who lives (or is located) near another | |
31 | (adjective) connected with or belonging to or used in a navy | |
31 | (noun) a person of no influence | |
30 | (noun) people living near one another | |
30 | (verb) live or be located as a neighbor; (noun) a person who lives (or is located) near another | |
30 | (adverb) very recently | |
30 | (noun) a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical | |
29 | (adjective) possessing no distinctive quality or characteristics; (noun) one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute | |
29 | (verb) express or signify by nodding; (noun) a sign of assent or salutation or command | |
27 | (verb) inhabit a nest, usually after building; (noun) a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young | |
26 | (verb) leave undone or leave out; (noun) the state of something that has been unused and neglected | |
26 | (verb) succeed in passing through, around, or over | |
25 | (noun) a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group; occurs abundantly in natural compounds (especially in salt water); burns with a yellow flame and reacts violently in water; occurs in sea water and in the mineral halite (rock salt) | |
24 | (noun) the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees | |
24 | (noun) a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues | |
23 | (noun) a rectangular piece of pastry with thin flaky layers and filled with custard cream | |
23 | (verb) annoy or provoke, as by constant criticism; (noun) a slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument | |
23 | (preposition) without prevention, or obstruction from or by; in spite of | |
21 | (adverb) not far away in relative terms; (adjective) close at hand | |
21 | (adjective) lacking a caretaker | |
21 | (noun) control of your emotions | |
21 | (adjective) of or relating to or characteristic of Normandy; (noun) United States operatic soprano (born in 1945) | |
20 | (verb) attach something somewhere by means of nails; (noun) horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits | |
20 | (adverb) (superlative of 'near' or 'close') within the shortest distance | |
20 | (noun) a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level | |
19 | (adjective) having no protecting or concealing cover | |
19 | (noun) derogatory term for a person who is fanatically dedicated to, or seeks to control, some activity, practice, etc.; (adjective) relating to or consistent with or typical of the ideology and practice of Nazism or the Nazis | |
19 | (adjective) widely known and esteemed; (noun) a celebrity who is an inspiration to others | |
18 | (adjective) devotion to the interests or culture of a particular nation including promoting the interests of one country over those of others; (noun) an advocate of national independence of or a strong national government | |
18 | (noun) any of several wrestling holds in which an arm is passed under the opponent's arm from behind and the hand exerts pressure on the back of the neck | |
18 | (noun) a content word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing, quality, or action | |
18 | (adjective) relating to or having ability to think in or work with numbers | |
17 | (noun) the doctrine that your national culture and interests are superior to any other | |
17 | (adverb) (comparative of 'near' or 'close') within a shorter distance | |
17 | (noun) (physiology) the organic process of nourishing or being nourished; the processes by which an organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and maintenance | |
17 | (noun) a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies | |
16 | (noun) a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses | |
16 | (adverb) despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession) | |
16 | (adverb) to, toward, or in the northwest; (noun) the direction corresponding to the northwestward compass point | |
16 | (adverb) especially; in particular | |
16 | (adverb) not anywhere; in or at or to no place; (noun) an insignificant place | |
16 | (noun) any substance (such as a chemical element or inorganic compound) that can be taken in by a green plant and used in organic synthesis | |
15 | (noun) the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place | |
15 | (noun) a unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 m/sec/sec to a mass of 1 kilogram; equal to 100,000 dynes | |
15 | (noun) a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century) | |
14 | (noun) people having common origins or traditions and often comprising a nation | |
14 | (noun) people living near one another | |
14 | (adjective) coming next after the eighth and just before the tenth in position; (noun) position nine in a countable series of things | |
14 | (adjective) relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name | |
14 | (noun) the middle of the day | |
13 | (noun) a city in northeastern France in Lorraine | |
13 | (adjective) being ten more than eighty; (noun) the cardinal number that is the product of ten and nine | |
13 | (noun) a constitutional monarchy in northern Europe on the western side of the Scandinavian Peninsula; achieved independence from Sweden in 1905 | |
12 | (adverb) not this merely but also; not only so but; (noun) a negative | |
12 | (adjective) of or relating to neurons | |
12 | (noun) a republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; gained independence from Britain in 1960; most populous African country | |
12 | (noun) vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994) | |
12 | (noun) a metric unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter | |
12 | (noun) a privileged class holding hereditary titles | |
11 | (noun) someone who tells a story | |
11 | (noun) a son of your brother or sister | |
11 | (noun) a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite | |
11 | (adverb) to, toward, or in the northeast; (noun) the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees | |
11 | (noun) a technical system of symbols used to represent special things | |
11 | (verb) inform (somebody) of something | |
10 | (noun) an elongated rectangular bone that forms the bridge of the nose | |
10 | (adjective) clean or organized | |
10 | (verb) require as useful, just, or proper | |
10 | (noun) failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances | |
10 | (adjective) having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching | |
10 | (adjective) (used as a combining form) recent or new | |
10 | (noun) an elementary particle with 0 charge and mass about equal to a proton; enters into the structure of the atomic nucleus | |
10 | (verb) cut slightly, with a razor; (noun) (British slang) a prison | |
10 | (verb) plate with nickel; (noun) a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite | |
10 | (adjective) being one more than eighteen; (noun) the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one | |
10 | (verb) treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate; (noun) any compound containing the nitrate group (such as a salt or ester of nitric acid) | |
10 | (noun) a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies | |
10 | (noun) the act of officially naming a candidate | |
10 | (noun) a message that seems to convey no meaning | |
10 | (noun) one who writes novels | |
10 | (adjective) lacking any legal or binding force | |
10 | (noun) a woman religious | |
10 | (noun) a child's room for a baby | |
9 | (noun) a port and tourist center in southwestern Italy; capital of the Campania region | |
9 | (noun) United States film actor (born in 1925) | |
9 | (adjective) relating to or dealing with norms | |
9 | (verb) help develop, help grow; (noun) the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child | |
9 | (adjective) informal or slang terms for mentally irregular | |
8 | (noun) the verbal act of naming | |
8 | (noun) an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security | |
8 | (noun) a midwestern state on the Great Plains | |
8 | (adjective) so small as to be meaningless; insignificant | |
8 | (noun) nonparticipation in a dispute or war | |
8 | (adjective) recently born | |
8 | (noun) influential German philosopher remembered for his concept of the superman and for his rejection of Christian values; considered, along with Kierkegaard, to be a founder of existentialism (1844-1900) | |
8 | (noun) the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern Africa into the Mediterranean; the Nile River valley in Egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization | |
8 | (noun) a book with blank pages for recording notes or memoranda | |
8 | (adjective) capable or worthy of being noticed | |
8 | (noun) common sense | |
8 | (noun) originality by virtue of being new and surprising | |
8 | (adjective) of or relating to or providing nutrition | |
7 | (adjective) marked by or showing unaffected simplicity and lack of guile or worldly experience | |
7 | (adverb) with neatness | |
7 | (adjective) unnecessary and unwarranted | |
7 | (noun) a state in the western United States | |
7 | (noun) a position particularly well suited to the person who occupies it | |
7 | (noun) a situation resembling a terrifying dream | |
7 | (adjective) full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds | |
7 | (adjective) appointed by nomination | |
7 | (adjective) designating or involving an equation whose terms are not of the first degree | |
7 | (noun) port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy | |
7 | (adjective) of or relating to Norway or its people or culture or language; (noun) a native or inhabitant of Norway | |
7 | (adjective) worthy of attention because interesting, significant, or unusual | |
7 | (noun) a request for payment | |
7 | (adjective) known widely and usually unfavorably | |
7 | (noun) a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and becomes more luminous in the process | |
7 | (adverb) in these times | |
7 | (noun) an organization concerned to preserve historic monuments and buildings and places of historical interest or natural beauty; founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription | |
7 | (verb) gather nuts; (noun) usually large hard-shelled seed | |
6 | (noun) an advocate of the doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms | |
6 | (noun) the state that precedes vomiting | |
6 | (noun) a yellow trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs in monazite and bastnasite in association with cerium and lanthanum and praseodymium | |
6 | (noun) a negative statement; a statement that is a refusal or denial of some other statement | |
6 | (adverb) in a harmful manner | |
6 | (noun) a port city in northeastern England on the River Tyne; a center for coal exports (giving rise to the expression 'carry coals to Newcastle' meaning to do something unnecessary) | |
6 | (noun) any new participant in some activity | |
6 | (noun) report or open letter giving informal or confidential news of interest to a special group | |
6 | (noun) one billionth (1/1,000,000,000) gram | |
6 | (noun) a daughter of your brother or sister | |
6 | (noun) a titled peer of the realm | |
6 | (adverb) in a northern direction; (noun) the cardinal compass point that is at 0 or 360 degrees | |
6 | (adjective) situated in or oriented toward the northwest | |
6 | (noun) (law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive | |
5 | (adjective) of or relating to or designating narcotics; (noun) a drug that produces numbness or stupor; often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain; extensive use can lead to addiction | |
5 | (adverb) in a narrow manner; not allowing for exceptions | |
5 | (noun) capital of the state of Tennessee; located in the north central part of the state on the Cumberland River; known for country music | |
5 | (noun) the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply) | |
5 | (noun) a republic in Central America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821 | |
5 | (noun) the Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the story of Noah and the flood is told in the Book of Genesis | |
5 | (verb) become normal or return to its normal state | |
5 | (verb) cut or make a notch into; (noun) a V-shaped indentation |