negro

/ˈniɡɹoʊ/

//ˈniɡɹoʊ// adj

"negro" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“negro” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,732. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,732
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to a black ethnicity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-negro · negro · English

negro · rank #10,732 · 7 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,732
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH mysteries

Nearest frequency peer: mysteries (-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 “negro”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “negro” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

negro vs NGO
0% similar
negro vs ner
60% similar
negro vs nerd
60% similar

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

Key facts for negro
PropertyValue
Headwordnegro
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈniɡɹoʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,732
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “negro”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).negrolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mysteries” (#10,731), “Myers” (#10,730), “notify” (#10,734). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “negro” is #10,732. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around negro (IPA /ˈniɡɹoʊ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,732 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for negro, with forms such as "engro", "neggro", and "negor". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "NGO", "ner", "nerd", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese negro (“black”), from Latin nigrum (“shiny black”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare; night”). Doublet of noir. The correct English form is negro, spelled N-E-G-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to a black ethnicity.
  2. 2
    Black or dark brown in color.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Recently, on a wintry Sunday, some 2,500 white Chicago area residents embarked on a strange safari across the city, determined to do what most of them had never done before—visit a Negro home. Eager to purge themselves of ignorance about the city's "other half," they were participants in Interracial Home Visit Day, a "Coffee Klatsch" co-sponsored by local…

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese negro (“black”), from Latin nigrum (“shiny black”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare; night”). Doublet of noir.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • engro
  • neggro
  • negor
  • negrro
  • nergo
  • ngero
  • nnegro

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of negro - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

engro2neggro1negor2negrro1nergo2ngero2nnegro1
Edit distance from "negro"

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 "negro"?
"negro" is spelled N-E-G-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈniɡɹoʊ/.
What does "negro" mean?
As an adjective, "negro" means: Relating to a black ethnicity.
What words are commonly confused with "negro"?
"negro" is commonly confused with "NGO", "ner", "nerd". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "negro"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "negro" is /ˈniɡɹoʊ/. 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 "negro"?
Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese negro (“black”), from Latin nigrum (“shiny black”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare; night”). Doublet of noir. 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 "negro", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list