neck

/nɛk/

//nɛk// noun

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

"neck" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“neck” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,358. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,358
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-neck · neck · English

neck · rank #2,358 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,358
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH mode

Nearest frequency peer: mode (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “neck”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “neck” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

neck vs new
50% similar
neck vs net
50% similar
neck vs NYC
0% similar

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

Key facts for neck
PropertyValue
Headwordneck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɛk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,358
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “neck” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around neck (IPA /nɛk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,358 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for neck, with forms such as "enck", "ncek", and "necck". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "new", "net", "NYC", 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 nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, nee… The correct English form is neck, spelled N-E-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
  2. 2
    The corresponding part in some other anatomical contexts.
  3. 3
    The part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck.
  4. 4
    The tapered part of a bottle toward the opening.
  5. 5
    The slender tubelike extension atop an archegonium, through which the sperm swim to reach the egg.
  6. 6
    The extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted
  7. 7
    A long narrow tract of land projecting from the main body, or a narrow tract connecting two larger tracts.
  8. 8
    A reduction in size near the end of an object, formed by a groove around it.
  9. 9
    The constriction between the root and crown of a tooth.
  10. 10
    The gorgerin of a capital.
  11. 11
    A volcanic plug, solidified lava filling the vent of an extinct volcano.
  12. 12
    The small part of a gun between the chase and the swell of the muzzle.
  13. 13
    A person's life.
  14. 14
    A falsehood; a lie.
  15. 15
    Fellatio
  16. 16
    A bundle of wheat used in certain English harvest ceremonies.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Giraffes have long necks.
  2. Mother, help me, there's a head attached to my neck and I'm in it.

Etymology

From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, neeke, Nak (“neck”), Saterland Frisian Näkke (“neck”), West Frisian nekke (“neck”), Dutch nek (“neck”), German Low German Nack (“neck”), German Nacken (“nape of the neck”), Danish nakke (“neck”), Swedish nacke (“nape of the neck”), Icelandic hnakki (“neck”), Tocharian A kñuk (“neck, nape”). Possibly a mutated variant of *kneug/k (compare Old English hnocc (“hook, penis”), Welsh cnwch (“joint, knob”), Latvian knaūķis (“dwarf”). Doublet of nek. More at nook. Displaced halse (“neck, throat”) and swire (“neck”).

Synonyms

cervixcollum

This word in other languages

cuello(Español)cou(Français)Hals(Deutsch)pescoço(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enck
  • ncek
  • necck
  • neckk
  • nekc
  • nneck

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of neck - 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.

enck2ncek2necck1neckk1nekc2nneck1
Edit distance from "neck"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "neck"?
"neck" is spelled N-E-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /nɛk/.
What does "neck" mean?
As a noun, "neck" means: The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
What words are commonly confused with "neck"?
"neck" is commonly confused with "new", "net", "NYC". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "neck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "neck" is /nɛk/. 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 "neck"?
From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian... 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 "neck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mode#2,357meat#2,355zero#2,377Alex#2,378

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

fired6 variantsfalls6 variantsbowl6 variantsbird6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "neck". Here's where to go from here.

  • "neck" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "new". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,358 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "N" letter cohort. N–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list