nightshade

/ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/

//ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd// noun

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

"nightshade" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nightshade” is uncommon English (frequency #50,109 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,109
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the poisonous plants belonging to the genus Solanum, especially black nightshade or woody nightshade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nightshade · nightshade · English

nightshade · rank #50,109 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,109
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nightgown

Nearest frequency peer: nightgown (-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 “nightshade”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nightshade
PropertyValue
Headwordnightshade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#50,109
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nightshade” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).nightshadefalls 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: “nightgown” (#50,108), “nizam” (#50,110), “nightcrawler” (#50,107). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nightshade” is #50,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nightshade is uncommon English at frequency #50,109 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

nightshade has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nyȝtschade, niȝteschode, nyght shade, from Old English nihtsċada, from Proto-West Germanic *nahtskadō (“nightshade”), corresponding to night + shade. Compare Dutch nachtschade (“nightshade”), German Nachtschatten (“nightshade”). The correct English form is nightshade, spelled N-I-G-H-T-S-H-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the poisonous plants belonging to the genus Solanum, especially black nightshade or woody nightshade.
  2. 2
    Any plant of the wider Solanaceae family, including the nightshades as well as tomato, potato, eggplant, and deadly nightshade.
  3. 3
    Belladonna or deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna).
  4. 4
    Any of several plants likened to nightshade, usually because of similar dark-colored berries.

Etymology

From Middle English nyȝtschade, niȝteschode, nyght shade, from Old English nihtsċada, from Proto-West Germanic *nahtskadō (“nightshade”), corresponding to night + shade. Compare Dutch nachtschade (“nightshade”), German Nachtschatten (“nightshade”).

This word in other languages

morelle(Français)Nachtschattengewächs(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 "nightshade"?
"nightshade" is spelled N-I-G-H-T-S-H-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/.
What does "nightshade" mean?
As a noun, "nightshade" means: Any of the poisonous plants belonging to the genus Solanum, especially black nightshade or woody nightshade.
How do you pronounce "nightshade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nightshade" is /ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/. 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 "nightshade"?
From Middle English nyȝtschade, niȝteschode, nyght shade, from Old English nihtsċada, from Proto-West Germanic *nahtskadō (“nightshade”), corresponding to night + shade. Compare Dutch nachtschade (“nightshade”), German Nachtschatten (“nightshade”). 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 "nightshade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paraplegic#50,140miscellany#50,074pillowcase#50,153prepayment#50,163

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list