niqab

/nɪˈkɑːb/

//nɪˈkɑːb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“niqab” is uncommon English (frequency #52,522 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,522
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A veil which covers the face (except for the eyes), worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab.

Key facts for niqab
PropertyValue
Headwordniqab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɪˈkɑːb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#52,522
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “niqab” 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). niqab 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

niqab is uncommon English at frequency #52,522 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɪˈkɑːb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A veil which covers the face (except for the eyes), worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for niqab, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Arabic نِقَاب (niqāb). The correct English form is niqab, spelled N-I-Q-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A veil which covers the face (except for the eyes), worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab.

Etymology

From Arabic نِقَاب (niqāb).

This word in other languages

niqab(Español)niqab(Français)Niqab(Deutsch)niqab(Português)

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 "niqab"?
"niqab" is spelled N-I-Q-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪˈkɑːb/.
What does "niqab" mean?
As a noun, "niqab" means: A veil which covers the face (except for the eyes), worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab.
How do you pronounce "niqab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "niqab" is /nɪˈkɑːb/. 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 "niqab"?
From Arabic نِقَاب (niqāb). 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 “niqab”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-I-Q-A-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɪˈkɑːb/ (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