nightjar
/ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑɹ/noun
nightjar is spelled N-I-G-H-T-J-A-R: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nightjar is nightjars.
How many letters and syllables are in nightjar?
| Letters | 8: N-I-G-H-T-J-A-R |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 92,628th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is nightjar?
Nightjar appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th 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 nightjar?
- UK /ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/
- US /ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑɹ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nightjar.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-VCcortex-nightjar.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with nightjar
Also written: night-jar (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of nightjar
- nightjars plural
- night-jar
- nightchurr
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nightjar mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nightjar in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | engoulevent |
| German | Ziegenmelker, Nachtschwalbe |
| Portuguese | noitibó, bacurau, curiango |
| Spanish | chotacabras, guardacaminos, caprimulgo |
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 nightjar come from?
From night + jar (“a discordant sound”), due to the bird's harsh call.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).