nominally

/ˈnɒmɪnəli/

//ˈnɒmɪnəli// adv

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

"nominally" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nominally” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,498. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,498
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a nominal manner; in name only.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nominally · nominally · English

nominally · rank #25,498 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #25,498
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nia

Nearest frequency peer: nia (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nominally”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nominally” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nominally vs nominal
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for nominally
PropertyValue
Headwordnominally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈnɒmɪnəli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,498
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nominally”

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).nominallylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “nia” (#25,497), “Nord” (#25,499), “Nellie” (#25,496). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nominally” is #25,498. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around nominally (IPA /ˈnɒmɪnəli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #25,498 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for nominally, with forms such as "nmoinally", "nnominally", and "noimnally". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nominal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nominal + -ly. The correct English form is nominally, spelled N-O-M-I-N-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a nominal manner; in name only.
  2. 2
    Slightly.
  3. 3
    As a noun.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Of the group, Max (Room’s Jacob Tremblay) is the most nominally mature, at least biologically speaking; unlike his childhood companions, he’s entered the early throes of puberty, and spends a lot of his waking hours pining, rather chastely, for a classmate (Millie Davis).
  2. In Mauritanian Hassaniya, forms like lil-i can function nominally ('mine'), and accordingly have FeSg and Pl variants (lil-t-i, lwaayl-i), see DHF l.lxxv.

Etymology

From nominal + -ly.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nmoinally
  • nnominally
  • noimnally
  • nomianlly
  • nominallyy
  • nominaly
  • nominalyl
  • nominlaly
  • nominnally
  • nomminally
  • nomnially
  • onminally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nominally - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nmoinally2nnominally1noimnally2nomianlly2nominallyy1nominaly1nominalyl2nominlaly2
Edit distance from "nominally"

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 "nominally"?
"nominally" is spelled N-O-M-I-N-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɒmɪnəli/.
What does "nominally" mean?
As an adverb, "nominally" means: In a nominal manner; in name only.
What words are commonly confused with "nominally"?
"nominally" is commonly confused with "nominal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nominally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nominally" is /ˈnɒmɪnəli/. 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 "nominally"?
From nominal + -ly. 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 "nominally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

normative#25,500patchwork#25,517medallion#25,472McPherson#25,470

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Nazareth12 variantspalliative12 variantsmonastic12 variantsPeshawar12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list