nest

/nɛst/

//nɛst// noun

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

"nest" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nest” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,384 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,384
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

nest vs NT
0% similar
nest vs not
50% similar
nest vs new
50% similar

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

Key facts for nest
PropertyValue
Headwordnest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɛst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,384
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nest” 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). nest lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for nest is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɛst/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,384 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for nest, with forms such as "enst", "nesst", and "nestt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NT", "not", "new", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nest, nist, nyst, from Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”), literally "where [the bird] sits down", a compound of *ni (“down”) (whence also English nethe… The correct English form is nest, spelled N-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.
  2. 2
    A place used by a monotreme, fish, amphibian or insect, for depositing eggs and hatching young.
  3. 3
    A snug, comfortable, or cosy residence or job situation.
  4. 4
    A retreat, or place of habitual resort.
  5. 5
    A hideout for bad people to frequent or haunt; a den.
  6. 6
    A home that a child or young adult shares with a parent or guardian.
  7. 7
    A fixed number of cards in some bidding games awarded to the highest bidder allowing him to exchange any or all with cards in his hand.
  8. 8
    A fortified position for a weapon.
  9. 9
    A structure consisting of nested structures, such as nested loops or nested subroutine calls.
  10. 10
    A circular bed of pasta, rice, etc. to be topped or filled with other foods.
  11. 11
    An aggregated mass of any ore or mineral, in an isolated state, within a rock.
  12. 12
    A collection of boxes, cases, or the like, of graduated size, each put within the one next larger.
  13. 13
    A compact group of pulleys, gears, springs, etc., working together or collectively.
  14. 14
    The pubic hair near a vulva or a vulva itself.

Etymology

From Middle English nest, nist, nyst, from Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”), literally "where [the bird] sits down", a compound of *ni (“down”) (whence also English nether) + the zero-grade of the root *sed- (“to sit”) (whence also English sit).

This word in other languages

nido(Español)nid(Français)Nest(Deutsch)ninho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: enst,nesst,nestt,nnest,nset

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enst2nesst1nestt1nnest1nset2
Edit distance from "nest"

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 "nest"?
"nest" is spelled N-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /nɛst/.
What does "nest" mean?
As a noun, "nest" means: A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.
What words are commonly confused with "nest"?
"nest" is commonly confused with "NT", "not", "new". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nest" is /nɛst/. 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 "nest"?
From Middle English nest, nist, nyst, from Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”), literally "where [the bird] sits down", a compound of *ni (“down”) (whence also Eng... 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 “nest”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɛst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “NT” - see the side-by-side comparison. nest vs NT
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list