nock

/nɒk/

//nɒk// noun

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

"nock" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nock” is uncommon English (frequency #65,346 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,346
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of the two grooves in a bow that hold the bowstring.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nock · nock · English

nock · rank #65,346 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,346
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nobler

Nearest frequency peer: nobler (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “nock”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “nock” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nock
PropertyValue
Headwordnock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɒk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#65,346
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nock” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).nockfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “nobler” (#65,345), “nonconforming” (#65,347), “nonessential” (#65,348). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nock” is #65,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nock is uncommon English at frequency #65,346 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɒk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for nock in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nokke, attested since the 14th century, probably from a Scandinavian/North Germanic language (compare Swedish nock (“notch”), but compare Dutch nok, from Middle Dutch nocke (“tip, point”). Both could be related to nook (“corner, recess”). The correct English form is nock, spelled N-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of the two grooves in a bow that hold the bowstring.
  2. 2
    The notch at the rear of an arrow that fits on the bowstring.
  3. 3
    The upper fore corner of a boom sail or trysail.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Meanwhile there had been bustle and preparation in all parts of the great vessel. The archers stood in groups about the decks, new-stringing their bows, and testing that they were firm at the nocks.
  2. Each drew his string from its waterproof case and bent the huge arc of his war-bow as he fitted it into the nocks.

Etymology

From Middle English nokke, attested since the 14th century, probably from a Scandinavian/North Germanic language (compare Swedish nock (“notch”), but compare Dutch nok, from Middle Dutch nocke (“tip, point”). Both could be related to nook (“corner, recess”).

This word in other languages

encoche(Français)Nocke(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 "nock"?
"nock" is spelled N-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒk/.
What does "nock" mean?
As a noun, "nock" means: Either of the two grooves in a bow that hold the bowstring.
How do you pronounce "nock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nock" is /nɒk/. 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 "nock"?
From Middle English nokke, attested since the 14th century, probably from a Scandinavian/North Germanic language (compare Swedish nock (“notch”), but compare Dutch nok, from Middle Dutch nocke (“tip, point”). Both could be related to nook (“corner... 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 "nock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Niue#65,342Ober#65,359MOBA#65,317PaaS#65,377

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list