nomenklatura
/nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/
"nomenklatura" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nomenklatura” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, filled by those appointed by the Party.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nomenklatura |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nomenklatura” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
nomenklatura is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for nomenklatura in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Russian номенклату́ра (nomenklatúra), from Latin nōmenclātūra (“a calling by name, list of names”), from nomen (“name”) + calare (“call”). Doublet of nomenclature. The correct English form is nomenklatura, spelled N-O-M-E-N-K-L-A-T-U-R-A.
Definition
- 1A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, filled by those appointed by the Party.
- 2The people on such lists; (by extension), any privileged class, a social or political elite.
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian номенклату́ра (nomenklatúra), from Latin nōmenclātūra (“a calling by name, list of names”), from nomen (“name”) + calare (“call”). Doublet of nomenclature.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “nomenklatura”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-O-M-E-N-K-L-A-T-U-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.