nestling

/ˈnɛstlɪŋ/

//ˈnɛstlɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nestling” is uncommon English (frequency #58,232 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,232
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small, young bird that is still confined to the nest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nestling · nestling · English

nestling · rank #58,232 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,232
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Neri

Nearest frequency peer: Neri (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “nestling”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nestling
PropertyValue
Headwordnestling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɛstlɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#58,232
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nestling” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).nestlingfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Neri” (#58,231), “neuropsychological” (#58,233), “nauseated” (#58,228). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nestling” is #58,232. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nestling is uncommon English at frequency #58,232 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnɛstlɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for nestling in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nestling, equivalent to nest + -ling. The correct English form is nestling, spelled N-E-S-T-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small, young bird that is still confined to the nest.
  2. 2
    A nest; a receptacle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. […] the Secrecies of the Paſſages; and the ſeats or neaſtling of the humours; […]

Etymology

From Middle English nestling, equivalent to nest + -ling.

This word in other languages

oisillon(Français)Jungvogel(Deutsch)

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 "nestling"?
"nestling" is spelled N-E-S-T-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɛstlɪŋ/.
What does "nestling" mean?
As a noun, "nestling" means: A small, young bird that is still confined to the nest.
How do you pronounce "nestling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nestling" is /ˈnɛstlɪŋ/. 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 "nestling"?
From Middle English nestling, equivalent to nest + -ling. 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 "nestling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Muirhead#58,218misheard#58,202pastrami#58,269McDougal#58,188

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list