nigh
/naɪ/adjective, verb, adverb, preposition
nigh is spelled N-I-G-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, nigh means “Not remote in degree, kindred, circumstances, etc.; closely allied; intimate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nigh?
| Letters | 4: N-I-G-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nigh?
Nigh appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 nigh?
- /naɪ/
Nigh has one syllable (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: En-us-nigh.ogg, En-au-nigh.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nigh?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as nigh.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hing.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nigh
- nigher comparative
- more nigh comparative
- nighest superlative
- most nigh superlative
- nighs present, singular, he/she/it
- nighing participle, present
- nighed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nigh mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicNear, close by.
The end is nigh!
- 2
Not remote in degree, kindred, circumstances, etc.; closely allied; intimate.
verb
- 1
to draw nigh (to); to approach; to come near
adverb
- 1
Almost, nearly.
We talked for nigh on to two hours.
preposition
- 1
near; close to
When the Moon is horned […] is it not ever nigh the Sun?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nigh in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | proche, près , s'approcher |
| German | nahe, nah bei , beinahe, nahezu |
| Portuguese | perto, próximo |
| Spanish | cerca, cabe , cercano |
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 nigh come from?
Inherited from Middle English neygh, from Old English nēah, from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw, from Proto-Germanic *nēhw, from *nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).