nob

/nɒb/

//nɒb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nob” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #44,373) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#44,373
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The head.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nob · nob · English

nob · rank #44,373 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,373
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nother

Nearest frequency peer: nother (+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 neighbours of confusable “nob”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “nob” 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).

nob vs NZ
0% similar
nob vs NT
0% similar
nob vs NP
0% similar

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

Key facts for nob
PropertyValue
Headwordnob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɒb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#44,373
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “nob”

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).noblands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nother” (#44,374), “Nisha” (#44,370), “nibbling” (#44,369). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nob” is #44,373. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for nob is neighbouring look-alikes ("NZ", "NT", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /nɒb/. Frequency #44,373 among 1,534 “N” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for nob, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NZ", "NT", "NP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Pronunciation spelling of knob. Nobleman sense from white-nob (“white-head”) (18th century), referring to the powdered wigs used by those having or affecting upper middle-class status. The correct English form is nob, spelled N-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    The head.
  2. 2
    A jack of the same suit as the card turned up by the dealer.
  3. 3
    The glans penis, the sensitive bulbous structure at the end of the penis also known as the head of the penis. (Also spelled knob.)
  4. 4
    (vulgar, slang, chiefly UK, Ireland) The penis; dick. (Also spelled knob.)
  5. 5
    A contemptible person; dick. (Also spelled knob.)
  6. 6
    A wealthy or influential person; a toff.
  7. 7
    Obsolete form of knob (“rounded protuberance”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jack and Jill went up the hill / to fetch a pail of water; / Jack fell down and broke his crown / and Jill came tumbling after. / Up Jack got and home did trot, / as fast as he could caper, / to old Dame Dob / to mend his nob / with vinegar and brown paper.
  2. "What a deep covey!" said a greasy butcher with his mouth open, a red night-cap on his nob, and pointing towards Jacco Maccacco.

Etymology

Pronunciation spelling of knob. Nobleman sense from white-nob (“white-head”) (18th century), referring to the powdered wigs used by those having or affecting upper middle-class status.

This word in other languages

ponta(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 "nob"?
"nob" is spelled N-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒb/.
What does "nob" mean?
As a noun, "nob" means: The head.
What words are commonly confused with "nob"?
"nob" is commonly confused with "NZ", "NT", "NP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nob" is /nɒb/. 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 "nob"?
Pronunciation spelling of knob. Nobleman sense from white-nob (“white-head”) (18th century), referring to the powdered wigs used by those having or affecting upper middle-class status. 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 "nob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

OAS#44,377ner#44,368oui#44,386MRP#44,352

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list