Nicene

/ˈnaɪ.siːn/

//ˈnaɪ.siːn// adj

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

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

The verdict

“Nicene” is uncommon English (frequency #58,882 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,882
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to Nicaea.

Key facts for Nicene
PropertyValue
HeadwordNicene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnaɪ.siːn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#58,882
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Nicene” 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). Nicene lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Nicene is uncommon English at frequency #58,882 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnaɪ.siːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Nicene, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Latin Nīcaenus The correct English form is Nicene, spelled N-I-C-E-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to Nicaea.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, or to the churches that profess the Nicene Creed, the formulation of which began at this council.

Etymology

Latin Nīcaenus

This word in other languages

nicéen(Français)

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 "Nicene"?
"Nicene" is spelled N-I-C-E-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaɪ.siːn/.
What does "Nicene" mean?
As an adjective, "Nicene" means: Of or pertaining to Nicaea.
How do you pronounce "Nicene"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nicene" is /ˈnaɪ.siːn/. 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 "Nicene"?
Latin Nīcaenus 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 “Nicene”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-I-C-E-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnaɪ.siːn/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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