nicotine

/ˈnɪkətiːn/

//ˈnɪkətiːn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nicotine” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,596. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,596
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An alkaloid (C₁₀H₁₄N₂), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nicotine · nicotine · English

nicotine · rank #14,596 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,596
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NL

Nearest frequency peer: NL (+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 “nicotine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nicotine” 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
Key facts for nicotine
PropertyValue
Headwordnicotine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪkətiːn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,596
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nicotine”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nicotinelands 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 “NL” (#14,597), “Niagara” (#14,594), “Nora” (#14,598). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nicotine” is #14,596. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around nicotine (IPA /ˈnɪkətiːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,596 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for nicotine, with forms such as "incotine", "nciotine", and "niccotine". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French nicotine, equivalent to Nicot + -ine, named after Jean Nicot (1530–1604), the French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds back to France in 1561. The etymology of the surname itself is unclear. The correct English form is nicotine, spelled N-I-C-O-T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An alkaloid (C₁₀H₁₄N₂), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant.
  2. 2
    Tobacco or cigarettes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is addicted to nicotine.
  2. The nicotine in tobacco has been held to produce anaphrodisiac effects, in spite of such literary commendation as J.M. Barrie's My Lady Nicotine.

Etymology

Borrowed from French nicotine, equivalent to Nicot + -ine, named after Jean Nicot (1530–1604), the French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds back to France in 1561. The etymology of the surname itself is unclear.

This word in other languages

nicotina(Español)nicotine(Français)Nikotin(Deutsch)nicotina(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • incotine
  • nciotine
  • niccotine
  • nicoitne
  • nicotien
  • nicotinne
  • nicotnie
  • nicottine
  • nictoine
  • nioctine
  • nnicotine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nicotine - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

incotine2nciotine2niccotine1nicoitne2nicotien2nicotinne1nicotnie2nicottine1
Edit distance from "nicotine"

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 "nicotine"?
"nicotine" is spelled N-I-C-O-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪkətiːn/.
What does "nicotine" mean?
As a noun, "nicotine" means: An alkaloid (C₁₀H₁₄N₂), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant.
What are common misspellings of "nicotine"?
Common misspellings include "incotine", "nciotine", "niccotine", "nicoitne", "nicotien". The correct spelling is "nicotine".
How do you pronounce "nicotine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nicotine" is /ˈnɪkətiːn/. 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 "nicotine"?
Borrowed from French nicotine, equivalent to Nicot + -ine, named after Jean Nicot (1530–1604), the French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds back to France in 1561. The etymology of the surname itself is unclear. 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 "nicotine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mediocre#14,587mandarin#14,583lockdown#14,582listener#14,581

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

overrated11 variantsLafayette11 variantsrecreate11 variantsresidual11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list