nabob
/ˈneɪbɑb/
"nabob" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nabob” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.
Corpus desk
Index EN-nabob · nabob · English
nabob · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "N" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nabob |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈneɪbɑb/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “nabob” in English
Rare enough to double-check
nabob is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈneɪbɑb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for nabob in our 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, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: In colloquial usage in English since 1612, from a corruption of Hindustani नवाब (navāb) / نواب (navāb, “nawab”), perhaps via Portuguese nababo, from Classical Persian نَوَّاب (nawwāb), from Arabic نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), the honorific plural of نَائِب (nāʔib, “de… The correct English form is nabob, spelled N-A-B-O-B.
Definition
- 1An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.
- 2Someone of great wealth or importance.
- 3A person with a grandiose style or manner.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how nabob appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
They have drained the treasuries of Nabobs, who must fill them by oppressing the industry of their subjects.
Mr. Glentworth had never quitted Europe, and his wealth was either good English landed property, or equally undeniable English consols; still he was a stranger, very rich, and suddenly come from abroad. Such a man was necessarily a nabob in Mr. Palmer's eyes. India had been the place for making large fortunes in his young days.
Etymology
In colloquial usage in English since 1612, from a corruption of Hindustani नवाब (navāb) / نواب (navāb, “nawab”), perhaps via Portuguese nababo, from Classical Persian نَوَّاب (nawwāb), from Arabic نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), the honorific plural of نَائِب (nāʔib, “deputy”).
This word in other languages
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.