Nephilim

noun

"nephilim" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Nephilim” is uncommon English (frequency #64,564 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,564
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of Naphil

Corpus desk

Index EN-nephilim · Nephilim · English

Nephilim · rank #64,564 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,564
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nahum

Nearest frequency peer: Nahum (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “Nephilim”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Nephilim” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Nephilim
PropertyValue
HeadwordNephilim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#64,564
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Nephilim” in English

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).Nephilimfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Nahum” (#64,562), “neurotoxin” (#64,566), “motu” (#64,559). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “Nephilim” is #64,564. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Nephilim is uncommon English at frequency #64,564 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "plural of Naphil".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Nephilim, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hebrew נְפִילִים (“nefilim, fallen ones”), plural of נָפִיל (“nafíl, fallen one”). The correct English form is Nephilim, spelled N-E-P-H-I-L-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of Naphil

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
  2. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew נְפִילִים (“nefilim, fallen ones”), plural of נָפִיל (“nafíl, fallen one”).

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 "Nephilim"?
"Nephilim" is spelled N-E-P-H-I-L-I-M.
What does "Nephilim" mean?
As a noun, "Nephilim" means: plural of Naphil
What is the origin of the word "Nephilim"?
Borrowed from Hebrew נְפִילִים (“nefilim, fallen ones”), plural of נָפִיל (“nafíl, fallen one”). 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 "Nephilim", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list