nocent

/ˈnəʊ.sənt/

//ˈnəʊ.sənt// adj

"nocent" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nocent” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing injury; harmful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nocent · nocent · English

nocent · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for nocent
PropertyValue
Headwordnocent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnəʊ.sənt/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nocent” in English

nocentranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nocent is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnəʊ.sənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nocent, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nocent (“guilty”), from Latin nocens, present participle of nocere (“to harm”). Doublet of nuisant. The correct English form is nocent, spelled N-O-C-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing injury; harmful.
  2. 2
    guilty; not innocent

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] [Satan] held on His midnight search, where soonest he might finde The Serpent: him fast sleeping soon he found In Labyrinth of many a round self-rowld, His head the midst, well stor’d with suttle wiles: Not yet in horrid Shade or dismal Den, Nor nocent yet, but on the grassie Herbe Fearless unfeard he slept […]
  2. They consider the various known Effects of particular Herbs or Drugs, they meditate what will be the Effect of their Composition, and whether the Virtues of the one will exalt or diminish the Force of the other, or correct any of its nocent Qualities.

Etymology

From Middle English nocent (“guilty”), from Latin nocens, present participle of nocere (“to harm”). Doublet of nuisant.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nocent"?
"nocent" is spelled N-O-C-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnəʊ.sənt/.
What does "nocent" mean?
As an adjective, "nocent" means: Causing injury; harmful.
How do you pronounce "nocent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nocent" is /ˈnəʊ.sənt/. 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 "nocent"?
From Middle English nocent (“guilty”), from Latin nocens, present participle of nocere (“to harm”). Doublet of nuisant. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list