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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,358 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,358
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for neck is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɛk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,358 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “neck”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɛk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “new” - see the side-by-side comparison. neck vs new
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list