nitrile

Name: nitrile, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/

//ˈnaɪtɹaɪl// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“nitrile” is uncommon English (frequency #66,874 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,874
frequency rank, English: 24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a class of organic compounds containing a cyano functional group −C≡N; they are named as derivatives of the appropriate carboxylic acid.

Key facts for nitrile
Property	Value
Headword	nitrile
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#66,874
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nitrile” 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). nitrile lands here:

#66,874

#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

nitrile is uncommon English at frequency #66,874 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nitrile, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from benzonitrile which contains the −C≡N group. Benzonitrile was discovered and named by Hermann Fehling in 1844. The correct English form is nitrile, spelled N-I-T-R-I-L-E.

Definition

1
Any of a class of organic compounds containing a cyano functional group −C≡N; they are named as derivatives of the appropriate carboxylic acid.
2
A type of synthetic rubber formed by the copolymerization of acrylonitrile and butadiene: nitrile rubber.

Etymology

Derived from benzonitrile which contains the −C≡N group. Benzonitrile was discovered and named by Hermann Fehling in 1844.

This word in other languages

nitrilo(Español)nitrile(Français)Nitril(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 "nitrile"?

"nitrile" is spelled N-I-T-R-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/.

What does "nitrile" mean?

As a noun, "nitrile" means: Any of a class of organic compounds containing a cyano functional group −C≡N; they are named as derivatives of the appropriate carboxylic acid.

How do you pronounce "nitrile"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nitrile" is /ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/. 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 "nitrile"?

Derived from benzonitrile which contains the −C≡N group. Benzonitrile was discovered and named by Hermann Fehling in 1844. 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 “nitrile”

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

The one correct English spelling is N-I-T-R-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈnaɪtɹaɪl/ (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.