noll

/nɒl/

//nɒl// noun

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

The verdict

“noll” is uncommon English (frequency #53,137 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,137
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The head, especially the top of the head.

Corpus desk

Index EN-noll · noll · English

noll · rank #53,137 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,137
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Niven

Nearest frequency peer: Niven (-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 “noll”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for noll
PropertyValue
Headwordnoll
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɒl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#53,137
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “noll” 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).nollfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Niven” (#53,136), “Nollywood” (#53,138), “nihilistic” (#53,135). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “noll” is #53,137. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

noll is uncommon English at frequency #53,137 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɒl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The head, especially the top of the head.".

noll doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nol, from Old English hnol. Cognate with Dutch nol (“top of a sand-dune”). The correct English form is noll, spelled N-O-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The head, especially the top of the head.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Wolde to God it wolde please you some daye / A balade boke before me for to laye, / And lerne me to synge Re my fa sol! / And whan I fayle bobbe me on the noll.

Etymology

From Middle English nol, from Old English hnol. Cognate with Dutch nol (“top of a sand-dune”).

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 "noll"?
"noll" is spelled N-O-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒl/.
What does "noll" mean?
As a noun, "noll" means: The head, especially the top of the head.
How do you pronounce "noll"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "noll" is /nɒl/. 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 "noll"?
From Middle English nol, from Old English hnol. Cognate with Dutch nol (“top of a sand-dune”). 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 "noll", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list