nigra

/ˈnɪɡɹə/

//ˈnɪɡɹə// noun

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

"nigra" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nigra” is uncommon English (frequency #52,521 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,521
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A black person.

Key facts for nigra
PropertyValue
Headwordnigra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪɡɹə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#52,521
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nigra” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nigra is uncommon English at frequency #52,521 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnɪɡɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A black person.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nigra, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: A collateral form of negro with colloquial reduction of unstressed /oʊ/, /əʊ/ to /ə/ as in fella. The correct English form is nigra, spelled N-I-G-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A black person.

Etymology

A collateral form of negro with colloquial reduction of unstressed /oʊ/, /əʊ/ to /ə/ as in fella.

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 "nigra"?
"nigra" is spelled N-I-G-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪɡɹə/.
What does "nigra" mean?
As a noun, "nigra" means: A black person.
How do you pronounce "nigra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nigra" is /ˈnɪɡɹə/. 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 "nigra"?
A collateral form of negro with colloquial reduction of unstressed /oʊ/, /əʊ/ to /ə/ as in fella. 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.

Using “nigra”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-I-G-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɪɡɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list