nepotism

/ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/

//ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nepotism” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,674
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.

Key facts for nepotism
PropertyValue
Headwordnepotism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#31,674
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nepotism” 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). nepotism lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around nepotism (IPA /ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,674 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for nepotism, with forms such as "enpotism", "neoptism", and "nepoitsm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepōs (“nephew”), a reference to the practice of popes appointing relatives (most often nephews) as cardinals during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The correct English form is nepotism, spelled N-E-P-O-T-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.

Etymology

Borrowed from French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepōs (“nephew”), a reference to the practice of popes appointing relatives (most often nephews) as cardinals during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Antonyms

meritocracy

This word in other languages

nepotismo(Español)népotisme(Français)Nepotismus(Deutsch)nepotismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enpotism
  • neoptism
  • nepoitsm
  • nepotims
  • nepotismm
  • nepotissm
  • nepotsim
  • nepottism
  • neppotism
  • neptoism
  • nnepotism
  • npeotism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nepotism - 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.

enpotism2neoptism2nepoitsm2nepotims2nepotismm1nepotissm1nepotsim2nepottism1
Edit distance from "nepotism"

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 "nepotism"?
"nepotism" is spelled N-E-P-O-T-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/.
What does "nepotism" mean?
As a noun, "nepotism" means: The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.
What are common misspellings of "nepotism"?
Common misspellings include "enpotism", "neoptism", "nepoitsm", "nepotims", "nepotismm". The correct spelling is "nepotism".
How do you pronounce "nepotism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nepotism" is /ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/. 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 "nepotism"?
Borrowed from French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepōs (“nephew”), a reference to the practice of popes appointing relatives (most often nephews) as cardinals during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. 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 “nepotism”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-P-O-T-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/ (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

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list