nipple

/ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/

//ˈnɪ.p(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nipple” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,081. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,081
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female therian mammals, milk is secreted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nipple · nipple · English

nipple · rank #16,081 · 7 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,081
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Niger

Nearest frequency peer: Niger (-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 “nipple”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nipple” 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).

nipple vs Nippon
50% similar
nipple vs Nile
50% similar
nipple vs Nicole
50% similar

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

Key facts for nipple
PropertyValue
Headwordnipple
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,081
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nipple”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).nipplelands 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 “Niger” (#16,080), “neuroscience” (#16,079), “nostalgic” (#16,083). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nipple” is #16,081. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around nipple (IPA /ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,081 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for nipple, with forms such as "inpple", "niple", and "niplpe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Nippon", "Nile", "Nicole", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier neple, nypil, neble, believed to be a diminutive of nib, neb (“tip, point”), equivalent to nib + -le. Compare Old English nypel (“elephant trunk”), formed analogously as "a protuberance from one's neb" . The correct English form is nipple, spelled N-I-P-P-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female therian mammals, milk is secreted.
  2. 2
    The nipple (definition 1) and the areola together.
  3. 3
    A mechanical device through which liquids or gases can be passed in a regulated manner.
  4. 4
    An artificial nipple (definition 1) used for bottle-feeding infants.
  5. 5
    Any small physical protrusion, such as the lumps on the F and J keys on computer keyboards.
  6. 6
    Any small physical protrusion on an automotive, a machine part or any other part that fits into a groove on another part.
  7. 7
    A perforated segment that fits into part of the breech of a muzzle-loading gun, on which the percussion cap is fixed.
  8. 8
    A short tube threaded at both ends, used as a connector.
  9. 9
    An internally threaded piece which holds a bicycle spoke in place on the rim.
  10. 10
    A pointing stick.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mary felt annoyed at the girl; just because bras had become passé, did a girl with so pronounced a bosom have to cater to fashion? In this case practicality dictated a bra, and Mary stood at the desk feeling herself flushing with disapproval. And artificial nipple-dilation; it was just too much.
  2. Joan Trieste wore skin-tight dark pants and slippers and a cotton man’s-style shirt; as far as he could tell, she had on no bra, as fashion dictated, but her nipples were merely flat dark circles beneath the white cotton fabric of her shirt: she could not afford or did not care to have the currently-popular dilation operation.

Etymology

From earlier neple, nypil, neble, believed to be a diminutive of nib, neb (“tip, point”), equivalent to nib + -le. Compare Old English nypel (“elephant trunk”), formed analogously as "a protuberance from one's neb" .

This word in other languages

pezón(Español)mamelon(Français)Nippel(Deutsch)mamilo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inpple
  • niple
  • niplpe
  • nippel
  • nipplle
  • nnipple
  • npiple

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nipple - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

inpple2niple1niplpe2nippel2nipplle1nnipple1npiple2
Edit distance from "nipple"

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 "nipple"?
"nipple" is spelled N-I-P-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/.
What does "nipple" mean?
As a noun, "nipple" means: The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female therian mammals, milk is secreted.
What words are commonly confused with "nipple"?
"nipple" is commonly confused with "Nippon", "Nile", "Nicole". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nipple"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nipple" is /ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/. 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 "nipple"?
From earlier neple, nypil, neble, believed to be a diminutive of nib, neb (“tip, point”), equivalent to nib + -le. Compare Old English nypel (“elephant trunk”), formed analogously as "a protuberance from one's neb" . 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 "nipple", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mayhem#16,074Pearce#16,089plated#16,092lotion#16,066

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

mould7 variantsmains7 variantskudos7 variantsracer7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list