niche
/nɪt͡ʃ/noun, verb, adjective
niche is spelled N-I-C-H-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “niche vs nitch” about 390 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, niche means “A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of niche is niches.
How many letters and syllables are in niche?
| Letters | 5: N-I-C-H-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is niche?
Niche appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce niche?
- UK /niːʃ/
- UK /nɪt͡ʃ/
- US /nɪt͡ʃ/
Niche has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-niche.wav, En-au-niche.ogg, En-us-niche-3.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with niche
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with niche?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as niche from its last stressed vowel (/ɪtʃ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: chine.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of niche
- niches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- niching participle, present
- niched participle, past
- more niche comparative
- nicher comparative
- most niche superlative
- nichest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does niche mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament.
- 2
Any similar position, literal or figurative.
- 3
Specifically, a cremation niche; a columbarium.
- 4
A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.
- 5
Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.
I managed to carve out a niche for myself in the world of investigative journalism.
- 6
An arrow woven into a prayer rug pointing in the direction of qibla.
verb
- 1
To place in a niche.
a niched vase
- 2
To specialize in a niche, or particular narrow section of the market.
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal; obscure.
niche products
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Niche in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | niche |
| German | Nische, Mauernische, Wandnische, Mauerrücksprung , ökologische Nische |
| Portuguese | nicho |
| Spanish | hornacina, nicho , de nicho |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does niche come from?
Unadapted borrowing from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (“to make a nest”) (modern French nicher), from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nidus and nide via Latin and nest via Proto-Indo-European; also related to nyas.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).