nocuous

/ˈnɑ.kju.əs/

//ˈnɑ.kju.əs// adj

"nocuous" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Likely to cause harm or damage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nocuous · nocuous · English

nocuous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 nocuous
PropertyValue
Headwordnocuous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɑ.kju.əs/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nocuous” in English

nocuousfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

nocuous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnɑ.kju.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Likely to cause harm or damage.".

Zero misspellings are on record for nocuous in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Latin nocuus (“harmful”). The correct English form is nocuous, spelled N-O-C-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Likely to cause harm or damage.

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin nocuus (“harmful”).

Antonyms

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 "nocuous"?
"nocuous" is spelled N-O-C-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɑ.kju.əs/.
What does "nocuous" mean?
As an adjective, "nocuous" means: Likely to cause harm or damage.
How do you pronounce "nocuous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nocuous" is /ˈnɑ.kju.əs/. 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 "nocuous"?
Ultimately from Latin nocuus (“harmful”). 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