nigger

/ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/

//ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)// noun

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

"nigger" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nigger” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,375. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,375
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A black person; a person of black African descent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nigger · nigger · English

nigger · rank #18,375 · 6 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,375
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nadal

Nearest frequency peer: Nadal (-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 “nigger”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nigger” 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).

nigger vs nugget
67% similar
nigger vs nighter
71% similar
nigger vs Nigel
50% similar

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

Key facts for nigger
PropertyValue
Headwordnigger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,375
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nigger”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).niggerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Nadal” (#18,374), “NIH” (#18,376), “muffin” (#18,373). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nigger” is #18,375. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around nigger (IPA /ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,375 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for nigger, with forms such as "ingger", "ngiger", and "nigegr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "nugget", "nighter", "Nigel", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French nègre (“a black person”), from Spanish negro. Ultimately from Latin niger (“black”), thus a doublet of negro and noir. The expected Modern English pronunciation would be with /iː/; compare neger. The modern pronunciation with /ɪ/… The correct English form is nigger, spelled N-I-G-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A black person; a person of black African descent.
  2. 2
    A black person; a person of black African descent.
  3. 3
    A member of any typically dark-skinned people (now especially in combinations like prairie nigger or sand nigger).
  4. 4
    A friend, particularly a fellow black person (often as an informal term of address).
  5. 5
    A person of any kind (particularly as a term of abuse).
  6. 6
    A member of a group that is oppressed or marginalized in the manner of black people.
  7. 7
    Any of various dark animals:
  8. 8
    Any of various dark animals:
  9. 9
    Any of various dark animals:
  10. 10
    Any of various dark animals:
  11. 11
    An impurity in the covering of an electrical conductor which serves to make a partial short circuit, and thus becomes sufficiently heated to burn and destroy the insulation.
  12. 12
    A strong iron-bound timber with sharp teeth or spikes protruding from its front face, forming part of the machinery of a sawmill, and used in canting logs, etc.
  13. 13
    A steam-capstan on some Mississippi river boats, used to haul the boat over bars and snags by a rope fastened to a tree on the bank.
  14. 14
    A black screen used in conjunction with the camera to block light or produce special lighting effects.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger—but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.
  2. “Othello with his occupation gone,” she teased. “Othello was a nigger,” I said.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French nègre (“a black person”), from Spanish negro. Ultimately from Latin niger (“black”), thus a doublet of negro and noir. The expected Modern English pronunciation would be with /iː/; compare neger. The modern pronunciation with /ɪ/ may be due to influence from the Latin etymon (compare the older Southern US pronunciation of negro with /ɪ/), but compare the dialectal American pronunciations of eagle and eager as /ˈɪɡəl/ and /ˈɪɡɚ/. Compare Danish neger, Swedish neger, German Neger, Dutch neger. First use appears c. 1577, in the writings of Edward Hellowes (fl. 1574–1601).

Synonyms

blackiebootlipbrillo padcoondarkiegroidjigaboojoggerjungle bunnykaffirmoon cricketnigganig-nogporch monkeySamboshitskinsmoked Irishmanspadespearchuckerspooktar babywoghomienigga

This word in other languages

negro(Español)nègre(Français)Neger(Deutsch)preto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ingger
  • ngiger
  • nigegr
  • niggerr
  • niggre
  • nnigger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nigger - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ingger2ngiger2nigegr2niggerr1niggre2nnigger1
Edit distance from "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 "nigger"?
"nigger" is spelled N-I-G-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/.
What does "nigger" mean?
As a noun, "nigger" means: A black person; a person of black African descent.
What words are commonly confused with "nigger"?
"nigger" is commonly confused with "nugget", "nighter", "Nigel". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nigger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nigger" is /ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/. 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 "nigger"?
Borrowed from Middle French nègre (“a black person”), from Spanish negro. Ultimately from Latin niger (“black”), thus a doublet of negro and noir. The expected Modern English pronunciation would be with /iː/; compare neger. The modern pronunciatio... 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 "nigger", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

muffin#18,373Moreno#18,372pacing#18,386palate#18,387

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Sikh6 variantsSkye6 variantsgeese6 variantstammy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list