nag
/ˈnæɡ/noun, verb
nag is spelled N-A-G: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nag means “A small horse; a pony” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nag is nags.
How many letters and syllables are in nag?
| Letters | 3: N-A-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nag?
Nag appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce nag?
- US /ˈnæɡ/
- British /ˈnaɡ/
- Australia /ˈnæːɡ/
Nag has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nag.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nag?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nag from its last stressed vowel (/æɡ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: gan.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nag
- nags plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- nagging participle, present
- nagged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nag mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small horse; a pony.
- 2
An old, useless horse.
- 3
derogatoryobsoleteA paramour.
- 4
Someone or something that nags.
- 5
A repeated complaint or reminder.
- 6
A persistent, bothersome thought or worry.
verb
- 1
To repeatedly remind or complain to (someone) in an annoying way, often about insignificant or unnecessary matters.
Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda! (From Amanda! by Robin Klein)
- 2
To bother with persistent thoughts or memories.
The notion that he forgot something nagged him the rest of the day.
- 3
To bother or disturb persistently in any way.
a nagging pain in his left knee
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nag in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Pony , Schindmähre, Klepper, Ackergaul, Gaul , nörgeln |
| Portuguese | pônei , rocim, rocinante , azucrinar, atazanar, moer o juízo |
| Spanish | rocín , jamelgo, penco, rocinante , regañar, fastidiar |
| French | rosse, haridelle, rossinante, carne, canasson |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does nag come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).