Namibia

/nəˈmɪbi.ə/

//nəˈmɪbi.ə// name

"namibia" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Namibia” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,008 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#21,008
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Namibia. Capital: Windhoek.

Key facts for Namibia
PropertyValue
HeadwordNamibia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/nəˈmɪbi.ə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,008
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Namibia” 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). Namibia lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Namibia is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nəˈmɪbi.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,008 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Namibia. Capital: Windhoek.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Namibia, with forms such as "anmibia", "naimbia", and "nambiia". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Namib (from Khoekhoe namib) + -ia. The correct English form is Namibia, spelled N-A-M-I-B-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Namibia. Capital: Windhoek.

Etymology

From Namib (from Khoekhoe namib) + -ia.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anmibia,naimbia,nambiia,namibai,namibbia,namiiba,nammibia,nmaibia,nnamibia

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anmibia2naimbia2nambiia2namibai2namibbia1namiiba2nammibia1nmaibia2
Edit distance from "Namibia"

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 "Namibia"?
"Namibia" is spelled N-A-M-I-B-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /nəˈmɪbi.ə/.
What does "Namibia" mean?
As a proper noun, "Namibia" means: A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Namibia. Capital: Windhoek.
What are common misspellings of "Namibia"?
Common misspellings include "anmibia", "naimbia", "nambiia", "namibai", "namibbia". The correct spelling is "Namibia".
How do you pronounce "Namibia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Namibia" is /nəˈmɪbi.ə/. 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 "Namibia"?
From Namib (from Khoekhoe namib) + -ia. 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 “Namibia”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-A-M-I-B-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nəˈmɪbi.ə/ (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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list