nabob
/ˈneɪbɑb/
"nabob" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nabob” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nabob |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈneɪbɑb/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nabob” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for nabob is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈneɪbɑb/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “nabob”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-A-B-O-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈneɪbɑb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.