Nathan

/ˈneɪθən/

//ˈneɪθən// name

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

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

The verdict

“Nathan” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,817. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,817
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An Old Testament prophet who advised King David.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nathan · Nathan · English

Nathan · rank #5,817 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,817
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Murphy

Nearest frequency peer: Murphy (-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 “Nathan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Nathan” 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).

Nathan vs nation
50% similar
Nathan vs Nath
67% similar
Nathan vs naan
50% similar

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

Key facts for Nathan
PropertyValue
HeadwordNathan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈneɪθən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,817
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Nathan”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Nathanlands 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 “Murphy” (#5,816), “observation” (#5,818), “MUD” (#5,815). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “Nathan” is #5,817. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Nathan (IPA /ˈneɪθən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #5,817 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Nathan, with forms such as "anthan", "nahtan", and "natahn". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "nation", "Nath", "naan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan. The correct English form is Nathan, spelled N-A-T-H-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Old Testament prophet who advised King David.
  2. 2
    The fourth son of King David and father of Mattatha
  3. 3
    A male given name from Hebrew, of Biblical origin.
  4. 4
    An English surname originating as a patronymic.
  5. 5
    An Ashkenazi surname from Hebrew [in turn originating as a patronymic], a variant of Natan.
  6. 6
    A suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; named for Matthew Nathan, 13th Governor of Queensland.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And Dauids anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liueth, the man that hath done this thing, shall surely die. And he shall restore the Lambe fourefold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pittie. And Nathan said to Dauid, Thou art the man: […]
  2. the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

Etymology

From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

This word in other languages

Nathan(Français)Nathan(Deutsch)Natã(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anthan
  • nahtan
  • natahn
  • nathann
  • nathhan
  • nathna
  • natthan
  • nnathan
  • ntahan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Nathan - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

anthan2nahtan2natahn2nathann1nathhan1nathna2natthan1nnathan1
Edit distance from "Nathan"

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 "Nathan"?
"Nathan" is spelled N-A-T-H-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈneɪθən/.
What does "Nathan" mean?
As a proper noun, "Nathan" means: An Old Testament prophet who advised King David.
What words are commonly confused with "Nathan"?
"Nathan" is commonly confused with "nation", "Nath", "naan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Nathan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nathan" is /ˈneɪθən/. 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 "Nathan"?
From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan. 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 "Nathan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Murphy#5,816lesser#5,806iconic#5,802rookie#5,834

Similar misspelling depth

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

playoff9 variantsskilled9 variantsStuart9 variantsembassy9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list