nil

/nɪl/

//nɪl// noun

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

"nil" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nil” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #18,905) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#18,905
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nothing; zero.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nil · nil · English

nil · rank #18,905 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,905
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Norma

Nearest frequency peer: Norma (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “nil”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “nil” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nil vs NJ
0% similar
nil vs nm
33% similar
nil vs NZ
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for nil
PropertyValue
Headwordnil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɪl/
Letters3
Frequency rank#18,905
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “nil”

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).nillands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Norma” (#18,906), “Netanyahu” (#18,903), “negligent” (#18,902). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nil” is #18,905. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for nil is neighbouring look-alikes ("NJ", "nm", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /nɪl/. Frequency #18,905 among 1,534 “N” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

nil doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NJ", "nm", "NZ", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin nīl, a contraction of nihil, nihilum (“nothing”). See nihilism, nihility. The correct English form is nil, spelled N-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nothing; zero.
  2. 2
    A score of zero

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sedatives, contrary to popular lay and medical opinion, are invaluable in those who are not aided by the simpler means. Bromides, barbital and its innumerable offspring may be used with success, their administration being supplemented with a word of warning as to the evasion of any advice from the community grandmothers contrary to its use. The danger of…
  2. As to Aristotle's influence on him, we are left free to conjecture whatever seems to us most plausible. For my part, I should suppose it nil.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nīl, a contraction of nihil, nihilum (“nothing”). See nihilism, nihility.

This word in other languages

zéro(Français)null(Deutsch)nada(Português)

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 "nil"?
"nil" is spelled N-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪl/.
What does "nil" mean?
As a noun, "nil" means: Nothing; zero.
What words are commonly confused with "nil"?
"nil" is commonly confused with "NJ", "nm", "NZ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nil" is /nɪl/. 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 "nil"?
Borrowed from Latin nīl, a contraction of nihil, nihilum (“nothing”). See nihilism, nihility. 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 "nil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lux#18,878lim#18,874ICT#18,856TDS#18,968

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list