nocebo
no·ce·bo/noʊˈsi.boʊ/noun
nocebo is spelled N-O-C-E-B-O: 6 letters and 3 syllables (no·ce·bo). It appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nocebo means “A substance which a patient experiences as harmful due to a previous negative perception, but which is in fact pharmacologically (medicinally)…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nocebo is nocebos.
How many letters and syllables are in nocebo?
| Letters | 6: N-O-C-E-B-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: no·ce·bo |
| In writing | about once in every 31 million words; the 169,822nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nocebo?
Nocebo appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce nocebo?
- UK /nəʊˈsiː.bəʊ/
- US /noʊˈsi.boʊ/
Nocebo has 3 syllables, split no·ce·bo in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nocebo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nocebo?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nocebo from its last stressed vowel (/iboʊ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nocebo
- nocebos plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nocebo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A substance which a patient experiences as harmful due to a previous negative perception, but which is in fact pharmacologically (medicinally) inactive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nocebo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a pharmacologically inactive substance experienced as harmful:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Nocebo |
| Portuguese | nocebo |
| Spanish | nocebo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does nocebo come from?
Borrowed from Latin nocēbō (“I will harm”), the first-person singular future active indicative form of noceō (“to harm”), by analogy with placebo. The word was coined by Walter P. Kennedy in an article entitled “The Nocebo Reaction” (1961). (see quotation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).