nine

/naɪn/

//naɪn// num

"nine" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nine” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,431. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,431
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A numerical value equal to 9; the number following eight and preceding ten.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nine · nine · English

nine · rank #1,431 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,431
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH mission

Nearest frequency peer: mission (-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 “nine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nine” 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).

nine vs NN
0% similar
nine vs non
50% similar
nine vs nun
50% similar

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

Key facts for nine
PropertyValue
Headwordnine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/naɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,431
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nine”

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).ninelands 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 “mission” (#1,430), “officers” (#1,432), “meaning” (#1,429). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nine” is #1,431. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around nine (IPA /naɪn/), anumeral. Corpus frequency is #1,431 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for nine, with forms such as "inne", "nien", and "ninne". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NN", "non", "nun", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₁néwn̥ From Middle English nyn, nyne, from Old English nigon (“nine”), from Proto-West Germanic *neun, from Proto-Germanic *newun (“nine”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”). Cognate with Scots neen, nine (“nine”), Saterland Frisian njú… The correct English form is nine, spelled N-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A numerical value equal to 9; the number following eight and preceding ten.
  2. 2
    Describing a group or set with nine elements.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Would they want me to vote my conscience or would they want us to unanimously go the whole nine yards, declare him sane and possibly have the trial end up in a death sentence?
  2. Of course, for a number to have a biography, we need to assume that none of its digits are present more than nine times.

Etymology

PIE word *h₁néwn̥ From Middle English nyn, nyne, from Old English nigon (“nine”), from Proto-West Germanic *neun, from Proto-Germanic *newun (“nine”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”). Cognate with Scots neen, nine (“nine”), Saterland Frisian njúgen (“nine”), West Frisian njoggen (“nine”), Dutch negen (“nine”), German Low German negen (“nine”), German neun (“nine”), Danish ni (“nine”), Swedish nio (“nine”), Icelandic níu (“nine”), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌽 (niun, “nine”), Latin novem (“nine”), Ancient Greek ἐννέα (ennéa, “nine”), Sanskrit नव (náva, “nine”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inne
  • nien
  • ninne
  • nnie
  • nnine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inne2nien2ninne1nnie2nnine1
Edit distance from "nine"

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 "nine"?
"nine" is spelled N-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /naɪn/.
What does "nine" mean?
As a numeral, "nine" means: A numerical value equal to 9; the number following eight and preceding ten.
What words are commonly confused with "nine"?
"nine" is commonly confused with "NN", "non", "nun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nine" is /naɪn/. 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 "nine"?
PIE word *h₁néwn̥ From Middle English nyn, nyne, from Old English nigon (“nine”), from Proto-West Germanic *neun, from Proto-Germanic *newun (“nine”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”). Cognate with Scots neen, nine (“nine”), Saterland F... 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 "nine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list