naughty

/ˈnɔːti/

//ˈnɔːti// adj

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

"naughty" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“naughty” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,214. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,214
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).

Corpus desk

Index EN-naughty · naughty · English

naughty · rank #9,214 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,214
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nationalism

Nearest frequency peer: nationalism (-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 “naughty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “naughty” 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).

naughty vs naught
86% similar

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

Key facts for naughty
PropertyValue
Headwordnaughty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɔːti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,214
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “naughty”

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).naughtylands 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 “nationalism” (#9,213), “Nepal” (#9,215), “missionary” (#9,212). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “naughty” is #9,214. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around naughty (IPA /ˈnɔːti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,214 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for naughty, with forms such as "anughty", "naguhty", and "naugghty". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "naught", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y. The correct English form is naughty, spelled N-A-U-G-H-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).
  2. 2
    Sexually provocative; now in weakened sense, risqué, cheeky.
  3. 3
    Decadent, had as indulgence, especially an unhealthy one.
  4. 4
    Evil, wicked, morally reprehensible.
  5. 5
    Bad, worthless, substandard.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some naughty boys at school hid the teacher's lesson notes.
  2. I bought some naughty lingerie for my honeymoon.

Etymology

From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y.

Synonyms

dirtymischievous

Antonyms

nice

This word in other languages

travieso(Español)malicieux(Français)ungezogen(Deutsch)travesso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anughty
  • naguhty
  • naugghty
  • naughhty
  • naughtty
  • naughtyy
  • naughyt
  • naugthy
  • nauhgty
  • nnaughty
  • nuaghty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anughty2naguhty2naugghty1naughhty1naughtty1naughtyy1naughyt2naugthy2
Edit distance from "naughty"

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 "naughty"?
"naughty" is spelled N-A-U-G-H-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɔːti/.
What does "naughty" mean?
As an adjective, "naughty" means: Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).
What words are commonly confused with "naughty"?
"naughty" is commonly confused with "naught". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "naughty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "naughty" is /ˈnɔːti/. 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 "naughty"?
From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y. 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 "naughty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

manners#9,209Persian#9,227popping#9,231prisons#9,232

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

pumpkin11 variantspunched11 variantsremedies11 variantssickness11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list