nard
/nɑɹd/
"nard" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nard” is uncommon English (frequency #87,600 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #87,600
- frequency rank, English
- 24,391
- “N” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A flowering plant of species Nardostachys jatamansi, in the valerian family, that grows in the Himalayas and is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and an herbal medicine.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nard |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /nɑɹd/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #87,600 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nard” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
nard is uncommon English at frequency #87,600 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɑɹd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
nard doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English narde, from Old French narde, Latin nardus, from Ancient Greek νάρδος (nárdos), from Phoenician [Term?], Sanskrit नलद (nálada, “Indian narde”). Doublet of nardus. The correct English form is nard, spelled N-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1A flowering plant of species Nardostachys jatamansi, in the valerian family, that grows in the Himalayas and is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and an herbal medicine.
- 2A fragrant oil from the plant, formerly much prized.
- 3American spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a North American perennial herb with an aromatic root.
Etymology
From Middle English narde, from Old French narde, Latin nardus, from Ancient Greek νάρδος (nárdos), from Phoenician [Term?], Sanskrit नलद (nálada, “Indian narde”). Doublet of nardus.
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
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Using “nard”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /nɑɹd/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.