# neat

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈniːt/ · frequency rank #7,251

## Definitions
1. Clean, tidy; free from dirt or impurities.
2. Free from contaminants; unadulterated, undiluted. Particularly of liquor and cocktails; see usage below.
3. Conditions with a liquid reagent or gas performed with no standard solvent or cosolvent.
4. With all deductions or allowances made; net.
5. Having a simple elegance or style; clean, trim, tidy, tasteful.
6. Well-executed or delivered; clever, skillful, precise.
7. Facile; missing complexity or details in the favor of convenience or simplicity.
8. Good, excellent, desirable; interesting; cool.
9. Obsolete form of net (“remaining after expenses or deductions”).

## Etymology
From Middle English nete, net, nette, from Anglo-Norman neit (“good, desirable, clean”), a variant of Old French net, nette (“clean, clear, pure”), from Latin nitidus (“gleaming”), derived from nitēre (“to shine”). Doublet of net and nitid. Cognate with German nett (“nice, kind”). Compare also nait.

## Easily confused with
- **NT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nt)
- **not** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-not)
- **new** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-new)
- **net** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-net)
- **nut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nut)
- **NSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nsa)
- **ned** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-ned)
- **NRA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nra)
- **NEC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nec)
- **NES** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nes)
- **NYT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nyt)
- **nee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nee)
- **nia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nia)
- **nit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nit)
- **nga** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nga)
- **neg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-neg)
- **neb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-neb)
- **NWA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nwa)
- **ney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-ney)
- **NEX** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/neat-vs-nex)

## Common misspellings (5)
`enat`, `naet`, `neatt`, `neta`, `nneat`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/neat