Old Nick

[əʊld nɪk]

/[əʊld nɪk]/ phrase

The verdict

“Old Nick” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Spitzname des Teufels als die höchste Personifizierung des Übels

Key facts for Old Nick
PropertyValue
HeadwordOld Nick
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[əʊld nɪk]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Old Nick” sits in German frequency

Old Nick falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Old Nick is 8 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [əʊld nɪk]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Spitzname des Teufels als die höchste Personifizierung des Übels".

Old Nick doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 Old Nick, spelled O-L-D- -N-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Spitzname des Teufels als die höchste Personifizierung des Übels

Synonyms

the DevilSatanLucifer

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Old Nick"?
"Old Nick" is spelled O-L-D- -N-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is [əʊld nɪk].
What does "Old Nick" mean?
As a phrase, "Old Nick" means: Spitzname des Teufels als die höchste Personifizierung des Übels
How do you pronounce "Old Nick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Old Nick" is [əʊld nɪk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Old Nick" come from?
"Old Nick" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Old Nick”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is O-L-D- -N-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [əʊld nɪk] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list