nobody

/ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/

//ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i// pron

"nobody" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nobody” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,200 in English word frequency and used as a pronoun.

#1,200
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nobody vs nobody's
75% similar

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

Key facts for nobody
PropertyValue
Headwordnobody
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPronoun
IPA/ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,200
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nobody” 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). nobody lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for nobody is 6 letters long, classified as a pronoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,200 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nobody, with forms such as "nboody", "nnobody", and "nobbody". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nobody's", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nobody, no-body, no body. By surface analysis, no (“none, not any”, adjective) + body (“one, person, individual”). The correct English form is nobody, spelled N-O-B-O-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.

Etymology

From Middle English nobody, no-body, no body. By surface analysis, no (“none, not any”, adjective) + body (“one, person, individual”).

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nboody,nnobody,nobbody,nobdoy,noboddy,nobodyy,noboyd,noobdy,onbody

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nobody - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nboody2nnobody1nobbody1nobdoy2noboddy1nobodyy1noboyd2noobdy2
Edit distance from "nobody"

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 "nobody"?
"nobody" is spelled N-O-B-O-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/.
What does "nobody" mean?
As a pronoun, "nobody" means: Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.
What words are commonly confused with "nobody"?
"nobody" is commonly confused with "nobody's". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nobody"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nobody" is /ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/. 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 "nobody"?
From Middle English nobody, no-body, no body. By surface analysis, no (“none, not any”, adjective) + body (“one, person, individual”). 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 “nobody”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-B-O-D-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnəʊ.bɒd.i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “nobody's” - see the side-by-side comparison. nobody vs nobody's
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list