nawab

/nəˈwɑːb/

//nəˈwɑːb// noun

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

The verdict

“nawab” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,219. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,219
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Muslim official in South Asia acting as a provincial deputy ruler under the Mughal empire; a local governor.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nawab · nawab · English

nawab · rank #47,219 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,219
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NCT

Nearest frequency peer: NCT (+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 “nawab”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nawab” 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).

nawab vs NWA
0% similar
nawab vs Nawaz
60% similar
nawab vs naw
60% similar

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

Key facts for nawab
PropertyValue
Headwordnawab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nəˈwɑːb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#47,219
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nawab”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nawablands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “NCT” (#47,220), “Nederland” (#47,221), “neu” (#47,222). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nawab” is #47,219. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around nawab (IPA /nəˈwɑːb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,219 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for nawab, with forms such as "anwab", "naawb", and "nawabb". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NWA", "Nawaz", "naw", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hindi नवाब (navāb)/Urdu نواب (navāb), from Persian نوّاب (navvâb), ultimately from Arabic نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), plural of نَائِب (nāʔib, “naib”). The correct English form is nawab, spelled N-A-W-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Muslim official in South Asia acting as a provincial deputy ruler under the Mughal empire; a local governor.
  2. 2
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Polyura (possibly a subgenus of genus Charaxes).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Colonel Altamont, the Nawaub of Lucknow’s prime favourite, an extraordinary man, who had, it was said, embraced Mahometanism, and undergone a thousand wild and perilous adventures was at present in this country, trying to negotiate with the Begum Clavering, the sale of the Nawaub’s celebrated nose-ring diamond, ‘the light of the Dewan.’
  2. The nawabs of Bhopal, Ranput, Murshidabad, and Dhaka, along with the nizam of Hyderabad, all affirmed that the sultan has misled Muslims with his “erroneous” call to jihad and insisted that Indian Muslims had a duty to support Great Britain.

Etymology

From Hindi नवाब (navāb)/Urdu نواب (navāb), from Persian نوّاب (navvâb), ultimately from Arabic نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), plural of نَائِب (nāʔib, “naib”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anwab
  • naawb
  • nawabb
  • nawba
  • nawwab
  • nnawab
  • nwaab

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anwab2naawb2nawabb1nawba2nawwab1nnawab1nwaab2
Edit distance from "nawab"

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 "nawab"?
"nawab" is spelled N-A-W-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /nəˈwɑːb/.
What does "nawab" mean?
As a noun, "nawab" means: A Muslim official in South Asia acting as a provincial deputy ruler under the Mughal empire; a local governor.
What words are commonly confused with "nawab"?
"nawab" is commonly confused with "NWA", "Nawaz", "naw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nawab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nawab" is /nəˈwɑːb/. 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 "nawab"?
From Hindi नवाब (navāb)/Urdu نواب (navāb), from Persian نوّاب (navvâb), ultimately from Arabic نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), plural of نَائِب (nāʔib, “naib”). 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 "nawab", 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