nimbus

/ˈnɪm.bəs/

//ˈnɪm.bəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nimbus” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,088. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,088
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A circle of light; a halo.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nimbus · nimbus · English

nimbus · rank #46,088 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #46,088
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nog

Nearest frequency peer: nog (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nimbus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nimbus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

nimbus vs nimble
67% similar

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

Key facts for nimbus
PropertyValue
Headwordnimbus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪm.bəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#46,088
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nimbus”

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).nimbuslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nog” (#46,089), “NEET” (#46,086), “Noyes” (#46,091). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nimbus” is #46,088. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around nimbus (IPA /ˈnɪm.bəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,088 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nimbus, with forms such as "inmbus", "nibmus", and "nimbbus". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nimble", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”). Doublet of nimb. The correct English form is nimbus, spelled N-I-M-B-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A circle of light; a halo.
  2. 2
    A gray rain cloud.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”). Doublet of nimb.

Synonyms

halo

This word in other languages

nimbo(Español)nimbe(Français)Nimbus(Deutsch)nimbo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inmbus
  • nibmus
  • nimbbus
  • nimbsu
  • nimbuss
  • nimmbus
  • nimubs
  • nmibus
  • nnimbus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nimbus - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

inmbus2nibmus2nimbbus1nimbsu2nimbuss1nimmbus1nimubs2nmibus2
Edit distance from "nimbus"

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 "nimbus"?
"nimbus" is spelled N-I-M-B-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪm.bəs/.
What does "nimbus" mean?
As a noun, "nimbus" means: A circle of light; a halo.
What words are commonly confused with "nimbus"?
"nimbus" is commonly confused with "nimble". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nimbus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nimbus" is /ˈnɪm.bəs/. 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 "nimbus"?
Borrowed from Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”). Doublet of nimb. 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 "nimbus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

minnow#46,069plucky#46,111Pocock#46,112Messer#46,059

Similar misspelling depth

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

Ogilvie9 variantsmaulana9 variantsmasseuse9 variantsRadley9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list