nod
/nɑd/verb, noun
nod is spelled N-O-D: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, nod means “To incline the head up and down, as to indicate agreement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nod?
| Letters | 3: N-O-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 nod?
Nod appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 nod?
- UK /nɒd/
- US /nɑd/
- Australia /nɔd/
Nod has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-nod.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nod?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nod from its last stressed vowel (/ɑd/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: don.
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 nod
- nods present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- nodding participle, present
- nodded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nod mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To incline the head up and down, as to indicate agreement.
- 2
To briefly incline the head downwards as a cursory greeting.
- 3
To sway, move up and down.
- 4
To gradually fall asleep.
- 5
To signify by a nod.
They nodded their assent.
- 6
To make a mistake by being temporarily inattentive or tired
Even Homer nods.
- 7
To head; to strike the ball with one's head.
Jones nods the ball back to his goalkeeper.
- 8
To allude to something.
Though the title nods to the Italian neo-realist classic Bicycle Thieves–and Cyril, much like the father and son in that movie, spends much of his time tracking down the oft-stolen possession–The Kid With A Bike isn’t about the bike as some
noun
- 1
An instance of inclining the head up and down, as to indicate agreement, or as a cursory greeting.
- 2
A reference or allusion to something.
- 3
A nomination.
For the fifth time in her career she received a Grammy nod, she has yet to win the award.
- 4
Approval.
The plan is expected to get the nod from councillors at the next meeting.
- 5
A state of half-consciousness; stupor.
noun
- 1
Initialism of notice Of disagreement; filed by an appellant in response to a denial of veteran's benefits in United States law.
- 2
USInitialism of Night Optical/Observation Device.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nod in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dodeliner, hocher , somnoler, piquer du nez , signe de la tête, hochement |
| German | nicken , einnicken , Kopfnicken |
| Portuguese | assentir, acenar , cabecear , aceno |
| Spanish | asentir con la cabeza, cabecear , cabezada, venia, sombrerazo, ademán |
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 nod come from?
From Middle English nodden, probably from an unrecorded Old English *hnodian (“to nod, shake the head”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnodōn, from Proto-Germanic *hnudōną (“to beat, rivet, pound, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *kendʰ-, from *ken- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Compare Old High German hnotōn (“to shake”), hnutten (“to shake, rattle, vibrate”) (> modern dialectal German notteln, nütteln (“to rock, move back and forth”)), Faroese njóða (“to clench a nail”), Icelandic hnjóða (“to rivet, clinch”), Faroese noða (“to double by bending”), Icelandic hnoða (“to clinch, rivet”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).