Necronomicon

/ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/

//ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən// name

"necronomicon" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Necronomicon” is uncommon English (frequency #78,859 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,859
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fictional grimoire of arcane and forbidden knowledge whose contents can drive a person mad.

Key facts for Necronomicon
PropertyValue
HeadwordNecronomicon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#78,859
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Necronomicon” 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). Necronomicon lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Necronomicon is uncommon English at frequency #78,859 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A fictional grimoire of arcane and forbidden knowledge whose contents can drive a person mad.".

Necronomicon doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Pseudo-loan from Ancient Greek, derived from νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + νόμος (nómos, “law”) + εἰκών (eikṓn, “image”), literally “an image of the law of the dead”. Coined by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. By surface analysis, necro- + -nomicon. The correct English form is Necronomicon, spelled N-E-C-R-O-N-O-M-I-C-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fictional grimoire of arcane and forbidden knowledge whose contents can drive a person mad.

Etymology

Pseudo-loan from Ancient Greek, derived from νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + νόμος (nómos, “law”) + εἰκών (eikṓn, “image”), literally “an image of the law of the dead”. Coined by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. By surface analysis, necro- + -nomicon.

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 "Necronomicon"?
"Necronomicon" is spelled N-E-C-R-O-N-O-M-I-C-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/.
What does "Necronomicon" mean?
As a proper noun, "Necronomicon" means: A fictional grimoire of arcane and forbidden knowledge whose contents can drive a person mad.
How do you pronounce "Necronomicon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Necronomicon" is /ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/. 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 "Necronomicon"?
Pseudo-loan from Ancient Greek, derived from νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + νόμος (nómos, “law”) + εἰκών (eikṓn, “image”), literally “an image of the law of the dead”. Coined by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. By surface analysis, necro- + -nomicon. 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 “Necronomicon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-C-R-O-N-O-M-I-C-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌnɛkɹəˈnɒmɪkən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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