napkin
/ˈnæp.kɪn/
"napkin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“napkin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,609 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,609
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | napkin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnæp.kɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #23,609 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “napkin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for napkin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnæp.kɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,609 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for napkin, with forms such as "anpkin", "nakpin", and "napikn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "napping", "Nanking", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English napkyn, equivalent to nape (“cloth”) + -kin. The correct English form is napkin, spelled N-A-P-K-I-N.
Definition
- 1A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating.
- 2A nappy (UK), a diaper (American).
- 3A small scarf worn on the head by Christian women (chiefly Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox) when entering a church, as a token of modesty.
- 4Ellipsis of sanitary napkin.
Etymology
From Middle English napkyn, equivalent to nape (“cloth”) + -kin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: anpkin,nakpin,napikn,napkinn,napkkin,napkni,nappkin,nnapkin,npakin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of napkin - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "napkin"?
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Using “napkin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-A-P-K-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnæp.kɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “napping” - see the side-by-side comparison. napkin vs napping
- 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.