nightfall

/ˈnaɪt.fɔl/

//ˈnaɪt.fɔl// noun

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

"nightfall" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nightfall” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,150. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,150
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The close of the day; the coming of night.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nightfall · nightfall · English

nightfall · rank #25,150 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,150
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH notary

Nearest frequency peer: notary (+2 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 “nightfall”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nightfall” 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 nightfall
PropertyValue
Headwordnightfall
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnaɪt.fɔl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,150
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nightfall”

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).nightfalllands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “notary” (#25,152), “observable” (#25,153), “mules” (#25,146). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nightfall” is #25,150. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around nightfall (IPA /ˈnaɪt.fɔl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,150 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for nightfall, with forms such as "inghtfall", "ngihtfall", and "nigghtfall". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From night + fall. Cf. dewfall. The correct English form is nightfall, spelled N-I-G-H-T-F-A-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The close of the day; the coming of night.
  2. 2
    Nocturnal emission.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. at nightfall

Etymology

From night + fall. Cf. dewfall.

This word in other languages

anochecer(Español)tombée de la nuit(Français)Zwielicht(Deutsch)anoitecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inghtfall
  • ngihtfall
  • nigghtfall
  • nighftall
  • nighhtfall
  • nightafll
  • nightfal
  • nightffall
  • nightflal
  • nighttfall
  • nigthfall
  • nihgtfall
  • nnightfall

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nightfall - 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.

inghtfall2ngihtfall2nigghtfall1nighftall2nighhtfall1nightafll2nightfal1nightffall1
Edit distance from "nightfall"

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 "nightfall"?
"nightfall" is spelled N-I-G-H-T-F-A-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaɪt.fɔl/.
What does "nightfall" mean?
As a noun, "nightfall" means: The close of the day; the coming of night.
What are common misspellings of "nightfall"?
Common misspellings include "inghtfall", "ngihtfall", "nigghtfall", "nighftall", "nighhtfall". The correct spelling is "nightfall".
How do you pronounce "nightfall"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nightfall" is /ˈnaɪt.fɔl/. 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 "nightfall"?
From night + fall. Cf. dewfall. 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 "nightfall", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

organiser#25,156momentous#25,143midsummer#25,136manganese#25,130

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

pneumatic13 variantsleveraged13 variantsscapegoat13 variantsshambles13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list