nettle

[ˈnɛɾʊl]

/[ˈnɛɾʊl]/ noun

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

"nettle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nettle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,276. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,276
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nettle · nettle · English

nettle · rank #41,276 · 7 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,276
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Newry

Nearest frequency peer: Newry (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nettle”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nettle” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

nettle vs Neale
50% similar
nettle vs needle
67% similar
nettle vs neatly
67% similar

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

Key facts for nettle
PropertyValue
Headwordnettle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈnɛɾʊl]
Letters6
Frequency rank#41,276
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nettle”

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).nettlelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Newry” (#41,277), “Neff” (#41,274), “Newtonian” (#41,278). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nettle” is #41,276. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around nettle (IPA [ˈnɛɾʊl]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,276 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 24 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for nettle, with forms such as "enttle", "netle", and "netlte". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Neale", "needle", "neatly", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilā (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Proto-Germani… The correct English form is nettle, spelled N-E-T-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  2. 2
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  3. 3
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  4. 4
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  5. 5
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  6. 6
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  7. 7
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  8. 8
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  9. 9
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  10. 10
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  11. 11
    Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
  12. 12
    Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
  13. 13
    Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
  14. 14
    Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
  15. 15
    Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
  16. 16
    Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
  17. 17
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  18. 18
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  19. 19
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  20. 20
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  21. 21
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  22. 22
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  23. 23
    Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
  24. 24
    Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

Etymology

From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilā (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *natǭ (of unknown origin, perhaps from the same source as net).

This word in other languages

ortiga(Español)ortie(Français)Nessel(Deutsch)urtiga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enttle
  • netle
  • netlte
  • nettel
  • nettlle
  • nnettle
  • ntetle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nettle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

enttle2netle1netlte2nettel2nettlle1nnettle1ntetle2
Edit distance from "nettle"

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 "nettle"?
"nettle" is spelled N-E-T-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈnɛɾʊl].
What does "nettle" mean?
As a noun, "nettle" means: Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
What words are commonly confused with "nettle"?
"nettle" is commonly confused with "Neale", "needle", "neatly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nettle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nettle" is [ˈnɛɾʊl]. 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 "nettle"?
From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilā (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Pro... 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 "nettle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oldman#41,281Mellor#41,250McEwen#41,248Marwan#41,240

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Murat7 variantsOssetia7 variantspacer7 variantsloins7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list