Niobe

/ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/

//ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi// name

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

"niobe" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Niobe” is uncommon English (frequency #76,164 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,164
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A daughter of Tantalus, said to have turned into stone while weeping for her children.

Key facts for Niobe
PropertyValue
HeadwordNiobe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,164
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Niobe” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Niobe lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Niobe is uncommon English at frequency #76,164 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Niobe, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Νιόβη (Nióbē). The correct English form is Niobe, spelled N-I-O-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A daughter of Tantalus, said to have turned into stone while weeping for her children.
  2. 2
    A daughter of Phoroneus and Teledice.
  3. 3
    71 Niobe, a main belt asteroid.
  4. 4
    A female given name from Ancient Greek.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Νιόβη (Nióbē).

This word in other languages

Niobe(Deutsch)

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 "Niobe"?
"Niobe" is spelled N-I-O-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/.
What does "Niobe" mean?
As a proper noun, "Niobe" means: A daughter of Tantalus, said to have turned into stone while weeping for her children.
How do you pronounce "Niobe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Niobe" is /ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/. 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 "Niobe"?
From Ancient Greek Νιόβη (Nióbē). 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.

Using “Niobe”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-I-O-B-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnʌɪ.ə.bi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list