nickname
/ˈnɪkneɪm/noun, verb
nickname is spelled N-I-C-K-N-A-M-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nickname means “A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nickname is nicknames.
How many letters and syllables are in nickname?
| Letters | 8: N-I-C-K-N-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.1 times per million words; the 8,146th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is nickname?
Nickname appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th 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 nickname?
- /ˈnɪkneɪm/
Nickname has 2 syllables (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)-Vealhurl-nickname.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nickname
- nicknames plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- nicknaming participle, present
- nicknamed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nickname mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic.
"The Big Apple" is a common nickname for New York City.
- 2
A familiar, shortened or diminutive name for a person or thing.
My name is Jonathan, but I go by my nickname, Johnny.
verb
- 1
To give a nickname to (a person or thing).
Gerald, nicknamed "Jerry", was usually a very cheerful person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate nickname?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of nickname: nick.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nickname in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surnom, sobriquet , surnommer |
| German | Spitzname , Beiname |
| Portuguese | apelido, alcunha , alcunhar, apelidar |
| Spanish | apodo, mote, sobrenombre, chapa, cognombre, cognomen |
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 nickname come from?
From Middle English neke name, alteration (due to a rebracketing of an ekename as a nekename) of earlier ekename (“nickname”), from eke (“additional”) + name. Compare Old Norse aukanafn, auknafn, auknefni, Faroese eyknevni, Danish øgenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk aukenamn, Swedish öknamn, and German Low German Ökelname. For other similar cases of incorrect division, see also apron, daffodil, newt, orange, umpire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).