nightjar

/ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/

//ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː// noun

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

"nightjar" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nightjar” is uncommon English (frequency #92,923 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,923
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various medium-sized nocturnal birds, of the family Caprimulgidae from the order Caprimulgiformes, that feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nightjar · nightjar · English

nightjar · rank #92,923 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,923
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nikolaos

Nearest frequency peer: Nikolaos (+4 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 “nightjar”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nightjar
PropertyValue
Headwordnightjar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#92,923
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nightjar” 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).nightjarfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Nikolaos” (#92,927), “Ningxia” (#92,928), “Newspeak” (#92,917). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nightjar” is #92,923. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nightjar is uncommon English at frequency #92,923 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of various medium-sized nocturnal birds, of the family Caprimulgidae from the order Caprimulgiformes, that feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.".

No misspelling variants are generated for nightjar in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From night + jar (“a discordant sound”), due to the bird's harsh call. The correct English form is nightjar, spelled N-I-G-H-T-J-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various medium-sized nocturnal birds, of the family Caprimulgidae from the order Caprimulgiformes, that feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.

Etymology

From night + jar (“a discordant sound”), due to the bird's harsh call.

This word in other languages

chotacabras(Español)engoulevent(Français)Ziegenmelker(Deutsch)

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 "nightjar"?
"nightjar" is spelled N-I-G-H-T-J-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/.
What does "nightjar" mean?
As a noun, "nightjar" means: Any of various medium-sized nocturnal birds, of the family Caprimulgidae from the order Caprimulgiformes, that feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.
How do you pronounce "nightjar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nightjar" is /ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/. 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 "nightjar"?
From night + jar (“a discordant sound”), due to the bird's harsh call. 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 "nightjar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nikolaos#92,927Newspeak#92,917moonbase#92,892Orellana#92,954

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list