Old Nick

[əʊld nɪk]

/[əʊld nɪk]/ phrase

The verdict

“Old Nick” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Spitzname des Teufels als die höchste Personifizierung des Übels

Corpus desk

Index DE-old-nick · Old Nick · German

Old Nick · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

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

Langschwanz-Rang von „Old Nick“ im Deutschen

Old Nickliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Old Nick is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [əʊld nɪk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Old Nick appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „he gave me a look that would scare Old Nick“

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list