nefarious

/nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/

//nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs// adj

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

"nefarious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nefarious” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,010
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nefarious · nefarious · English

nefarious · rank #29,010 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,010
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NDA

Nearest frequency peer: NDA (-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 “nefarious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nefarious” 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
Key facts for nefarious
PropertyValue
Headwordnefarious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#29,010
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nefarious”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).nefariouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “NDA” (#29,009), “Nepali” (#29,011), “narcotic” (#29,008). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nefarious” is #29,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around nefarious (IPA /nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,010 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for nefarious, with forms such as "enfarious", "neafrious", and "nefairous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin nefārius (“execrable, abominable”), from nefās (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + fās (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“to speak, to say”) and cognate to A… The correct English form is nefarious, spelled N-E-F-A-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Aliens have a nefarious connotation in many science fiction books.
  2. "If the vessel be no fair-trading slaver, nor a common cruiser of his Majesty, it is as tangible as the best man's reasoning, that she may be neither more nor less than the ship of that nefarious pirate the Red Rover."

Etymology

From Latin nefārius (“execrable, abominable”), from nefās (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + fās (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“to speak, to say”) and cognate to Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “to say”).

This word in other languages

nefario(Español)infâme(Français)berüchtigt(Deutsch)nefasto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enfarious
  • neafrious
  • nefairous
  • nefariosu
  • nefariouss
  • nefariuos
  • nefaroius
  • nefarrious
  • neffarious
  • nefraious
  • nfearious
  • nnefarious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enfarious2neafrious2nefairous2nefariosu2nefariouss1nefariuos2nefaroius2nefarrious1
Edit distance from "nefarious"

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 "nefarious"?
"nefarious" is spelled N-E-F-A-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/.
What does "nefarious" mean?
As an adjective, "nefarious" means: Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
What are common misspellings of "nefarious"?
Common misspellings include "enfarious", "neafrious", "nefairous", "nefariosu", "nefariouss". The correct spelling is "nefarious".
How do you pronounce "nefarious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nefarious" is /nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/. 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 "nefarious"?
From Latin nefārius (“execrable, abominable”), from nefās (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + fās (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“to speak, to say”) and co... 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 "nefarious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

normalize#29,015pantomime#29,029peacetime#29,031rainwater#29,056

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

narcotic12 variantsmystique12 variantsmotoring12 variantsplaytime12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list