Nicholas

/ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/

//ˈnɪk.ə.ləs// name

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

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

The verdict

“Nicholas” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,815. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,815
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from Ancient Greek, notably born by St. Nicholas of Myre, on whom Father Christmas is based.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nicholas · Nicholas · English

Nicholas · rank #6,815 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,815
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH navigation

Nearest frequency peer: navigation (-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 “Nicholas”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Nicholas” 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).

Nicholas vs Nicola
75% similar
Nicholas vs Nicolas
88% similar
Nicholas vs Nichols
88% similar

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

Key facts for Nicholas
PropertyValue
HeadwordNicholas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,815
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Nicholas”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Nicholaslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “navigation” (#6,814), “orbit” (#6,816), “mph” (#6,813). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “Nicholas” is #6,815. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Nicholas (IPA /ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #6,815 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Nicholas, with forms such as "incholas", "nciholas", and "niccholas". 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, "Nicola", "Nicolas", "Nichols", 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 Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος (Nikólaos), from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + λαός (laós, “people”). The correct English form is Nicholas, spelled N-I-C-H-O-L-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from Ancient Greek, notably born by St. Nicholas of Myre, on whom Father Christmas is based.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Fluvanna County, Virginia, United States.
  4. 4
    A settlement on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicholas’ clerks, I'll give thee this neck.
  2. I must call you Nick—we always did call you young Nick when we knew you meant to marry the old widow. Some said you had a handsome family likeness to old Nick, but that was your mother's fault, calling you Nicholas. Aren't you glad to see me again?

Etymology

From Middle English Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος (Nikólaos), from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + λαός (laós, “people”).

This word in other languages

Nicolás(Español)Nicolas(Français)Nikolaus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • incholas
  • nciholas
  • niccholas
  • nichholas
  • nichloas
  • nichoals
  • nicholass
  • nichollas
  • nicholsa
  • nicohlas
  • nihcolas
  • nnicholas

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Nicholas - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

incholas2nciholas2niccholas1nichholas1nichloas2nichoals2nicholass1nichollas1
Edit distance from "Nicholas"

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 "Nicholas"?
"Nicholas" is spelled N-I-C-H-O-L-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/.
What does "Nicholas" mean?
As a proper noun, "Nicholas" means: A male given name from Ancient Greek, notably born by St. Nicholas of Myre, on whom Father Christmas is based.
What words are commonly confused with "Nicholas"?
"Nicholas" is commonly confused with "Nicola", "Nicolas", "Nichols". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Nicholas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nicholas" is /ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/. 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 "Nicholas"?
From Middle English Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος (Nikólaos), from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + λαός (laós, “people”). 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 "Nicholas", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Phillips#6,820semester#6,834servants#6,836headline#6,793

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

accommodate12 variantswitnessed12 variantsstrings12 variantsdiamonds12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list