nipper

/ˈnɪpə(ɹ)/

//ˈnɪpə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nipper” is uncommon English (frequency #66,873 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,873
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who, or that which, nips.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nipper · nipper · English

nipper · rank #66,873 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,873
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nitrile

Nearest frequency peer: nitrile (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “nipper”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “nipper” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nipper
PropertyValue
Headwordnipper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪpə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#66,873
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nipper” 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).nipper lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nipper is uncommon English at frequency #66,873 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnɪpə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 16 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for nipper in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nip + -er. The correct English form is nipper, spelled N-I-P-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who, or that which, nips.
  2. 2
    Any of various devices (as pincers) for nipping.
  3. 3
    A child.
  4. 4
    A child aged from 5 to 13 in the Australian surf life-saving clubs.
  5. 5
    A boy working as a navvies' assistant.
  6. 6
    A mosquito.
  7. 7
    One of four foreteeth in a horse.
  8. 8
    A satirist.
  9. 9
    A pickpocket; a young or petty thief.
  10. 10
    A fish, the cunner.
  11. 11
    A European crab (Polybius henslowii).
  12. 12
    The claws of a crab or lobster.
  13. 13
    A young bluefish.
  14. 14
    A machine used by a ticket inspector to stamp passengers' tickets.
  15. 15
    One of a pair of automatically locking handcuffs.
  16. 16
    One of the gloves or mittens worn by fishermen to protect their hands from cold and abrasion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Watt saw the little movements of the stuff, the little bulgings and crumplings, and the sudden indrawings, where it was nipped, between forefinger and thumb probably, for those are the nippers.
  2. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh?

Etymology

From nip + -er.

Synonyms

pickpocket

This word in other languages

mico(Español)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nipper"?
"nipper" is spelled N-I-P-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪpə(ɹ)/.
What does "nipper" mean?
As a noun, "nipper" means: One who, or that which, nips.
How do you pronounce "nipper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nipper" is /ˈnɪpə(ɹ)/. 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 "nipper"?
From nip + -er. 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 "nipper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

nuncio#66,884Nakano#66,859Mulvey#66,854ogling#66,892

What to do next

You've looked up "nipper". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #66,873 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "N" letter cohort. N–Z browse
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PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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