napalm

/ˈneɪ.pɑːm/

//ˈneɪ.pɑːm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“napalm” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,421. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,421
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A highly flammable, viscous substance, designed to stick to the body while burning, used in warfare as an incendiary especially in wooded areas.

Corpus desk

Index EN-napalm · napalm · English

napalm · rank #35,421 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,421
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nantucket

Nearest frequency peer: Nantucket (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “napalm”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “napalm” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

napalm vs naval
67% similar
napalm vs Nepal
50% similar
napalm vs nasal
67% similar

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

Key facts for napalm
PropertyValue
Headwordnapalm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈneɪ.pɑːm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#35,421
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “napalm”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Nantucket” (#35,420), “Nath” (#35,422), “NAMI” (#35,419). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “napalm” is #35,421. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around napalm (IPA /ˈneɪ.pɑːm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,421 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for napalm, with forms such as "anpalm", "naaplm", and "napallm". 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. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "naval", "Nepal", "nasal", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Formed from na(phthenic) palm(itic) acid, the two original components of the substance. The correct English form is napalm, spelled N-A-P-A-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A highly flammable, viscous substance, designed to stick to the body while burning, used in warfare as an incendiary especially in wooded areas.
  2. 2
    Anything very incendiary; dynamite.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A trio of needle-nosed silver Phantom jets descended from the clouds and dropped a colossal load of napalm on the jungle. Flames turned the screen red and orange. Silence followed. “You smell that?” Kilgore said, almost to himself. Then, louder, “You smell that?” Lance, the champion surfer, asked “What?” Kilgore, lit by the glow of burning trees, retorted…
  2. When leaked, the controversial documents proved to be political napalm.

Etymology

Formed from na(phthenic) palm(itic) acid, the two original components of the substance.

This word in other languages

napalm(Español)napalm(Français)Napalm(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anpalm
  • naaplm
  • napallm
  • napalmm
  • napaml
  • naplam
  • nappalm
  • nnapalm
  • npaalm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anpalm2naaplm2napallm1napalmm1napaml2naplam2nappalm1nnapalm1
Edit distance from "napalm"

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 "napalm"?
"napalm" is spelled N-A-P-A-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈneɪ.pɑːm/.
What does "napalm" mean?
As a noun, "napalm" means: A highly flammable, viscous substance, designed to stick to the body while burning, used in warfare as an incendiary especially in wooded areas.
What words are commonly confused with "napalm"?
"napalm" is commonly confused with "naval", "Nepal", "nasal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "napalm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "napalm" is /ˈneɪ.pɑːm/. 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 "napalm"?
Formed from na(phthenic) palm(itic) acid, the two original components of the substance. 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 "napalm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

menial#35,406McNair#35,403overdo#35,444Lottie#35,389

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

merrily9 variantsmalaise9 variantslapping9 variantsKrista9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list