nag

/ˈnæɡ/

//ˈnæɡ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"nag" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nag” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #23,047) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#23,047
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small horse; a pony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nag · nag · English

nag · rank #23,047 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,047
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 24,391
  • PHOTO-FINISH nativity

Nearest frequency peer: nativity (+1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “nag”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “nag” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

nag vs NC
0% similar
nag vs ne
33% similar
nag vs NJ
0% similar

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

Key facts for nag
PropertyValue
Headwordnag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnæɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#23,047
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nag” 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). nag lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for nag is neighbouring look-alikes ("NC", "ne", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈnæɡ/. Frequency #23,047 among 24,391 “N” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No misspelling variants are generated for nag in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NC", "ne", "NJ", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nagg, nage, nagge (“horse, small riding horse, pony”), cognate with Dutch negge, neg (“horse”), German Nickel (“small horse”). Perhaps related to English neigh. The correct English form is nag, spelled N-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small horse; a pony.
  2. 2
    An old, useless horse.
  3. 3
    A paramour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We used to lure the nags into the back of our truck with oats and sugar, then we'd drive back to town to this warehouse and inject the nags with small quantities of morphine I'd stolen.
  2. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt – Whom leprosy o'ertake!

Etymology

From Middle English nagg, nage, nagge (“horse, small riding horse, pony”), cognate with Dutch negge, neg (“horse”), German Nickel (“small horse”). Perhaps related to English neigh.

This word in other languages

rocín(Español)rosse(Français)Pony(Deutsch)pônei(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nag"?
"nag" is spelled N-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnæɡ/.
What does "nag" mean?
As a noun, "nag" means: A small horse; a pony.
What words are commonly confused with "nag"?
"nag" is commonly confused with "NC", "ne", "NJ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nag" is /ˈnæɡ/. 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 "nag"?
From Middle English nagg, nage, nagge (“horse, small riding horse, pony”), cognate with Dutch negge, neg (“horse”), German Nickel (“small horse”). Perhaps related to English neigh. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "nag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ret#23,085FEI#22,967AWS#23,173BYU#22,918
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