neither
/ˈnaɪ.ðə/
"neither" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“neither” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,767. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #1,767
- frequency rank, English
- 24,391
- “N” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not one of two; not either; not one or the other.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | neither |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Determiner |
| IPA | /ˈnaɪ.ðə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #1,767 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “neither” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around neither (IPA /ˈnaɪ.ðə/), adeterminer. Corpus frequency is #1,767 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not one of two; not either; not one or the other.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for neither, with forms such as "enither", "neihter", and "neitehr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "nether", "neuter", "nother", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration (after either) of nauther, from Middle English neiþer, from Old English nāwþer, contraction of nāhwæþer, corresponding to no + whether. Compare Latin neuter (“neither”). By surface analysis, not + either. The correct English form is neither, spelled N-E-I-T-H-E-R.
Definition
- 1Not one of two; not either; not one or the other.
Etymology
Alteration (after either) of nauther, from Middle English neiþer, from Old English nāwþer, contraction of nāhwæþer, corresponding to no + whether. Compare Latin neuter (“neither”). By surface analysis, not + either.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- enither
- neihter
- neitehr
- neitherr
- neithher
- neithre
- neitther
- netiher
- niether
- nneither
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of neither - 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.
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 "neither"?
What does "neither" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “neither”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-E-I-T-H-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnaɪ.ðə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nether” - see the side-by-side comparison. neither vs nether
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.