nighthawk

/ˈnʌɪthɔːk/

//ˈnʌɪthɔːk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nighthawk” is uncommon English (frequency #51,279 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,279
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A nightjar, especially Caprimulgus europaeus (Eurasian nightjar).

Corpus desk

Index EN-nighthawk · nighthawk · English

nighthawk · rank #51,279 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,279
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Niu

Nearest frequency peer: Niu (+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 “nighthawk”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nighthawk
PropertyValue
Headwordnighthawk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnʌɪthɔːk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,279
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nighthawk” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nighthawkfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Niu” (#51,280), “nid” (#51,277), “Nogales” (#51,282). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nighthawk” is #51,279. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nighthawk is uncommon English at frequency #51,279 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnʌɪthɔːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for nighthawk, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From night + hawk. The correct English form is nighthawk, spelled N-I-G-H-T-H-A-W-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A nightjar, especially Caprimulgus europaeus (Eurasian nightjar).
  2. 2
    A New World nightjar of the genus Chordeiles, especially Chordeiles minor.
  3. 3
    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours.
  4. 4
    A nighthawker (metal detectorist who works illegally at night).
  5. 5
    An unlicensed prostitute who worked the roadsides at night.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The swallows circled around and I watched them and the night-hawks flying above the roofs and drank the Cinzano.

Etymology

From night + hawk.

Synonyms

bullbatnightjarnight owlnight person

This word in other languages

chotacabras(Español)engoulevent(Français)

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 "nighthawk"?
"nighthawk" is spelled N-I-G-H-T-H-A-W-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnʌɪthɔːk/.
What does "nighthawk" mean?
As a noun, "nighthawk" means: A nightjar, especially Caprimulgus europaeus (Eurasian nightjar).
How do you pronounce "nighthawk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nighthawk" is /ˈnʌɪthɔːk/. 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 "nighthawk"?
From night + hawk. 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 "nighthawk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

namespace#51,272midwinter#51,247manliness#51,236Manitowoc#51,235

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list