nig

noun

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

"nig" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nig” is uncommon English (frequency #56,317 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,317
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Niggard.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nig · nig · English

nig · rank #56,317 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,317
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Newgate

Nearest frequency peer: Newgate (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “nig”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “nig” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nig
PropertyValue
Headwordnig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters3
Frequency rank#56,317
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nig” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).nigfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Newgate” (#56,316), “negligently” (#56,313), “noncompliance” (#56,321). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nig” is #56,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nig is uncommon English at frequency #56,317 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Niggard.".

nig doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger. The correct English form is nig, spelled N-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Niggard.

Etymology

From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger.

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 "nig"?
"nig" is spelled N-I-G.
What does "nig" mean?
As a noun, "nig" means: Niggard.
What is the origin of the word "nig"?
From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger. 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 "nig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

MTF#56,301Ohl#56,335OTF#56,338pav#56,352

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list