nip

/nɪp/

//nɪp// verb

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

"nip" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nip” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #19,149) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#19,149
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nip · nip · English

nip · rank #19,149 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,149
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nassau

Nearest frequency peer: Nassau (-2 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 neighbours of confusable “nip”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “nip” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

nip vs NJ
0% similar
nip vs nm
33% similar
nip vs NZ
0% similar

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

Key facts for nip
PropertyValue
Headwordnip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/nɪp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#19,149
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “nip”

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).niplands 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 “Nassau” (#19,147), “nye” (#19,151), “oblivion” (#19,152). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nip” is #19,149. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for nip is neighbouring look-alikes ("NJ", "nm", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /nɪp/. Frequency #19,149 among 1,534 “N” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for nip in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NJ", "nm", "NZ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From late Middle English nippen, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, probably a byform of earlier *knippen (suggested by the derivative Middle English knippette (“pincers”)), from Middle Low German knîpen, from Old Saxon *knīpan, from Proto-West Germani… The correct English form is nip, spelled N-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.
  2. 2
    To remove by pinching, biting, or cutting with two meeting edges of anything; to clip.
  3. 3
    To benumb [e.g., cheeks, fingers, nose] by severe cold.
  4. 4
    To blast, as by frost; to check the growth or vigor of; to destroy.
  5. 5
    To annoy, as by nipping.
  6. 6
    To taunt.
  7. 7
    To squeeze or pinch.
  8. 8
    To steal; especially to cut a purse.
  9. 9
    To affect [one] painfully; to cause physical pain.'

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. May this hard earth cleave to the Nadir hell, Down, down, and close again, and nip me flat, If I be such a traitress.
  2. The small shoots ... must be nipt off.

Etymology

From late Middle English nippen, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, probably a byform of earlier *knippen (suggested by the derivative Middle English knippette (“pincers”)), from Middle Low German knîpen, from Old Saxon *knīpan, from Proto-West Germanic *knīpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *knīpaną (“to pinch”). Related to Dutch nijpen, knijpen (“to pinch”), Danish nive (“pinch”); Swedish nypa (“pinch”); Low German knipen; German kneipen and kneifen (“to pinch, cut off, nip”), Old Norse hnippa (“to prod, poke”); Lithuanian knebti.

This word in other languages

kneifen(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 "nip"?
"nip" is spelled N-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪp/.
What does "nip" mean?
As a verb, "nip" means: To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.
What words are commonly confused with "nip"?
"nip" is commonly confused with "NJ", "nm", "NZ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nip" is /nɪp/. 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 "nip"?
From late Middle English nippen, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, probably a byform of earlier *knippen (suggested by the derivative Middle English knippette (“pincers”)), from Middle Low German knîpen, from Old Saxon *knīpan, from Proto-We... 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 "nip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nye#19,151MLA#19,141PSG#19,178gma#19,097

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list