nanu
[naˈnuː]
The verdict
“nanu” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #38,915 in German word frequency and used as an interjection.
- #38,915
- frequency rank, German
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Erstaunen oder Verwunderung ausdrückend
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nanu |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Interjection |
| IPA | [naˈnuː] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #38,915 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nanu” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for nanu is 4 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [naˈnuː]. Corpus data places it at rank #38,915 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Erstaunen oder Verwunderung ausdrückend".
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for nanu, with forms such as "annu", "nannu", and "naun". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "nun", "neu", "nen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is nanu, spelled N-A-N-U.
Definition
- 1Erstaunen oder Verwunderung ausdrückend
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: annu,nannu,naun,nnanu,nnau
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nanu - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "nanu"?
What does "nanu" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nanu”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is N-A-N-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [naˈnuː] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nun” - see the side-by-side comparison. nanu vs nun
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.