nachos

/ˈnætʃəʊz/

//ˈnætʃəʊz// noun

"nachos" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nachos” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,669. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,669
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Mexican dish of tortilla chips, covered in melted cheese and sometimes other ingredients.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nachos vs Nichols
57% similar
nachos vs nacho
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for nachos
PropertyValue
Headwordnachos
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnætʃəʊz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,669
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nachos” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). nachos lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around nachos (IPA /ˈnætʃəʊz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,669 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A Mexican dish of tortilla chips, covered in melted cheese and sometimes other ingredients.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nachos, with forms such as "anchos", "nacchos", and "nachhos". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Nichols", "nacho", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Mexican Spanish nachos, from Nacho. Nacho is a common diminutive form of Ignacio (“Ignatius”) in Spanish. The Mexican creator of the dish, Ignacio Anaya (1895–1975), named it after himself in 1943: Nacho's Especiales. The correct English form is nachos, spelled N-A-C-H-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Mexican dish of tortilla chips, covered in melted cheese and sometimes other ingredients.

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish nachos, from Nacho. Nacho is a common diminutive form of Ignacio (“Ignatius”) in Spanish. The Mexican creator of the dish, Ignacio Anaya (1895–1975), named it after himself in 1943: Nacho's Especiales.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anchos
  • nacchos
  • nachhos
  • nachoss
  • nachso
  • nacohs
  • nahcos
  • ncahos
  • nnachos

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nachos - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

anchos2nacchos1nachhos1nachoss1nachso2nacohs2nahcos2ncahos2
Edit distance from "nachos"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nachos"?
"nachos" is spelled N-A-C-H-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnætʃəʊz/.
What does "nachos" mean?
As a noun, "nachos" means: A Mexican dish of tortilla chips, covered in melted cheese and sometimes other ingredients.
What words are commonly confused with "nachos"?
"nachos" is commonly confused with "Nichols", "nacho". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nachos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nachos" is /ˈnætʃəʊz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "nachos"?
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish nachos, from Nacho. Nacho is a common diminutive form of Ignacio (“Ignatius”) in Spanish. The Mexican creator of the dish, Ignacio Anaya (1895–1975), named it after himself in 1943: Nacho's Especiales. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “nachos”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-A-C-H-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnætʃəʊz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Nichols” - see the side-by-side comparison. nachos vs Nichols
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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