nimble

/ˈnɪmbl̩/

//ˈnɪmbl̩// adj

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

"nimble" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nimble” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,524. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,524
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Adept at taking or grasping.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nimble · nimble · English

nimble · rank #26,524 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,524
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nicks

Nearest frequency peer: nicks (-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 neighbourhood for “nimble”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “nimble” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

nimble vs noble
67% similar
nimble vs nipple
67% similar
nimble vs nimbus
67% similar

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

Key facts for nimble
PropertyValue
Headwordnimble
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɪmbl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,524
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nimble” sits in English frequency

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).nimblelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “nicks” (#26,523), “nomad” (#26,525), “nouveau” (#26,526). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around nimble (IPA /ˈnɪmbl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,524 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nimble, with forms such as "inmble", "nibmle", and "nimbble". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "noble", "nipple", "nimbus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (associativ… The correct English form is nimble, spelled N-I-M-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Adept at taking or grasping.
  2. 2
    Quick and light in movement or action.
  3. 3
    Quickwitted and alert.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. nimble fingers
  2. He was too nimble for the assailant and easily escaped his grasp.

Etymology

From Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (associative suffix), corresponding to nim + -le. Compare German nehmen, Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), Old Norse nema (“to take”). More at nim.

Antonyms

sluggish

This word in other languages

diestro(Español)agile(Français)schnell(Deutsch)ágil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inmble
  • nibmle
  • nimbble
  • nimbel
  • nimblle
  • nimlbe
  • nimmble
  • nmible
  • nnimble

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nimble - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

inmble2nibmle2nimbble1nimbel2nimblle1nimlbe2nimmble1nmible2
Edit distance from "nimble"

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 "nimble"?
"nimble" is spelled N-I-M-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪmbl̩/.
What does "nimble" mean?
As an adjective, "nimble" means: Adept at taking or grasping.
What words are commonly confused with "nimble"?
"nimble" is commonly confused with "noble", "nipple", "nimbus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nimble"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nimble" is /ˈnɪmbl̩/. 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 "nimble"?
From Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (... 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 "nimble", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

O'Neal#26,529Muriel#26,516pegged#26,548Loyola#26,497

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

O'Leary9 variantslonged9 variantsplanar9 variantslancet9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "nimble". Here's where to go from here.

  • "nimble" maps to 7 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "noble". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #26,524 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "N" letter cohort. N–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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