nasal

/ˈneɪ.zəl/

//ˈneɪ.zəl// adj

"nasal" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nasal” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,227. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,227
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to the nose or to the nasion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nasal · nasal · English

nasal · rank #15,227 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,227
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nan

Nearest frequency peer: nan (-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 “nasal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nasal” 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).

nasal vs NSA
0% similar
nasal vs Nash
40% similar
nasal vs Neal
40% similar

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

Key facts for nasal
PropertyValue
Headwordnasal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈneɪ.zəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,227
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nasal”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).nasallands 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 “nan” (#15,226), “nautical” (#15,228), “myriad” (#15,225). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nasal” is #15,227. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around nasal (IPA /ˈneɪ.zəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #15,227 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for nasal, with forms such as "ansal", "naasl", and "nasall". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NSA", "Nash", "Neal", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsālis, from nāsus (“the nose”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of nasalis. The correct English form is nasal, spelled N-A-S-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to the nose or to the nasion.
  2. 2
    Having a sound imparted by means of the nose; and specifically, made by lowering the soft palate, in some cases with closure of the oral passage, the voice thus issuing (wholly or partially) through the nose, as in the consonants m, n, ng.
  3. 3
    Characterized by resonance in the nasal passage.
  4. 4
    Sharp, penetrating.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Reindeer are well suited to the taiga’s frigid winters. They can maintain a thermogradient between body core and the environment of up to 100 degrees, in part because of insulation provided by their fur, and in part because of counter-current vascular heat exchange systems in their legs and nasal passages.
  2. Neffy uses the same spray device as Narcan, the naloxone nasal spray for opioid overdose, according to a spokesperson for its maker, ARS Pharmaceuticals.

Etymology

From Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsālis, from nāsus (“the nose”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of nasalis.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ansal
  • naasl
  • nasall
  • nasla
  • nassal
  • nnasal
  • nsaal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nasal - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ansal2naasl2nasall1nasla2nassal1nnasal1nsaal2
Edit distance from "nasal"

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 "nasal"?
"nasal" is spelled N-A-S-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈneɪ.zəl/.
What does "nasal" mean?
As an adjective, "nasal" means: Of or pertaining to the nose or to the nasion.
What words are commonly confused with "nasal"?
"nasal" is commonly confused with "NSA", "Nash", "Neal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nasal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nasal" is /ˈneɪ.zəl/. 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 "nasal"?
From Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsālis, from nāsus (“the nose”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of nasalis. 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 "nasal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list