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nina

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "nina", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "nina" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "nina" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Nina is aEnglishname. It means: A female given name in continuous use since the 19th century. Pronounced /ˈniːnə/. It ranks #8,963 in English word frequency. Often confused with NN and non.

Key facts for Nina
PropertyValue
HeadwordNina
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
IPA/ˈniːnə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,963
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Nina in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Nina is 4 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈniːnə/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,963 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for Nina, with forms such as "nian", "ninna", and "nnia". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NN", "non", "NSA", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed into English in the nineteenth century, apparently from several sources. Many borrowings are of Russian Ни́на (Nína), the name of a Georgian saint in the fourth century, also known as Nino, of obscure origin and meaning, possibly connected with the… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Nina, spelled N-I-N-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name in continuous use since the 19th century.
  2. 2
    The Babylonian goddess of the watery deep, daughter of Ea.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of Nina from Pasadena.

Etymology

Borrowed into English in the nineteenth century, apparently from several sources. Many borrowings are of Russian Ни́на (Nína), the name of a Georgian saint in the fourth century, also known as Nino, of obscure origin and meaning, possibly connected with the Assyrian king Ninus. Others are of an Italian short form of diminutives like Annina from Anna and Giovannina from Giovanna. Phonologically or orthographically similar names are present in several languages, including Afrikaans, Hindi, Italian, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and some Native American languages. In many of those, it is a nickname for names ending in -ina or -nina. (hidden message in crossword): After Nina Hirschfeld, the daughter of the American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld; her name was often concealed in his drawings.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nian,ninna,nnia,nnina

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Nina

Misspelling Variants of "Nina"

nian4ninna5nnia4nnina5
Misspelling Variants of "Nina"

Frequency rank: #8,963 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Nina"?
"Nina" is spelled N-I-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈniːnə/.
What does "Nina" mean?
As a name, "Nina" means: A female given name in continuous use since the 19th century.
What words are commonly confused with "Nina"?
"Nina" is commonly confused with "NN", "non", "NSA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Nina"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nina" is /ˈniːnə/. 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 "Nina"?
Borrowed into English in the nineteenth century, apparently from several sources. Many borrowings are of Russian Ни́на (Nína), the name of a Georgian saint in the fourth century, also known as Nino, of obscure origin and meaning, possibly connecte... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter N in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.