New Orleans

/ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz/

//ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz// name

"new-orleans" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“New Orleans” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The largest city in Louisiana, United States and the parish seat of Orleans Parish, which is coterminous with the city.

Corpus desk

Index EN-new-orleans · New Orleans · English

New Orleans · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for New Orleans
PropertyValue
HeadwordNew Orleans
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “New Orleans” in English

New Orleansfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

New Orleans is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The largest city in Louisiana, United States and the parish seat of Orleans Parish, which is coterminous with the city.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for New Orleans in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of French La Nouvelle-Orléans. The correct English form is New Orleans, spelled N-E-W- -O-R-L-E-A-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The largest city in Louisiana, United States and the parish seat of Orleans Parish, which is coterminous with the city.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As hundreds of volunteers and police scoured parks and waterways in an area of New Orleans Tuesday, there were many questions but few answers about the disappearance 11 days ago of a 26-year-old teacher.

Etymology

Calque of French La Nouvelle-Orléans.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "New Orleans"?
"New Orleans" is spelled N-E-W- -O-R-L-E-A-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz/.
What does "New Orleans" mean?
As a proper noun, "New Orleans" means: The largest city in Louisiana, United States and the parish seat of Orleans Parish, which is coterminous with the city.
How do you pronounce "New Orleans"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "New Orleans" is /ˈn(j)uː ɔɹˈliːnz/. 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 "New Orleans"?
Calque of French La Nouvelle-Orléans. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list