nominative

/ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv/

//ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv// adj

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

"nominative" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nominative” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,925. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,925
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Giving a name; naming; designating.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nominative · nominative · English

nominative · rank #48,925 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,925
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nicosia

Nearest frequency peer: Nicosia (-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 “nominative”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nominative” 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).

nominative vs nominate
80% similar
nominative vs nomination
80% similar

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

Key facts for nominative
PropertyValue
Headwordnominative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#48,925
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nominative”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nominativelands 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 “Nicosia” (#48,924), “Nicolson” (#48,923), “northland” (#48,927). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nominative” is #48,925. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around nominative (IPA /ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #48,925 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for nominative, with forms such as "nmoinative", "nnominative", and "noimnative". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "nominate", "nomination", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nominatyf, either via Old French nominatif or directly from Latin nōminātīvus (“pertaining to naming, nominative”). The correct English form is nominative, spelled N-O-M-I-N-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Giving a name; naming; designating.
  2. 2
    Being in that case or form of a noun which stands as the subject of a finite verb.
  3. 3
    Making a selection or nomination; choosing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. nominative fair use
  2. A telling marker of the change in the reporter's status was the elimination of the nominative reports (that is, the citation of the reports by the reporter's name). The first state to use “state reports” rather than the nominative designation was Connecticut (1814). Many other states made this change in the middle of the 19th Century or began their offici…

Etymology

From Middle English nominatyf, either via Old French nominatif or directly from Latin nōminātīvus (“pertaining to naming, nominative”).

This word in other languages

nominativo(Español)nominatif(Français)Nominativ-(Deutsch)nominativo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nmoinative
  • nnominative
  • noimnative
  • nomiantive
  • nominaitve
  • nominatiev
  • nominativve
  • nominattive
  • nominatvie
  • nominnative
  • nomintaive
  • nomminative
  • nomniative
  • onminative

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nominative - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nmoinative2nnominative1noimnative2nomiantive2nominaitve2nominatiev2nominativve1nominattive1
Edit distance from "nominative"

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 "nominative"?
"nominative" is spelled N-O-M-I-N-A-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv/.
What does "nominative" mean?
As an adjective, "nominative" means: Giving a name; naming; designating.
What words are commonly confused with "nominative"?
"nominative" is commonly confused with "nominate", "nomination". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nominative"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nominative" is /ˈnɑm(ɪ)nətɪv/. 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 "nominative"?
From Middle English nominatyf, either via Old French nominatif or directly from Latin nōminātīvus (“pertaining to naming, nominative”). 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 "nominative", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

needlework#48,917Montmartre#48,904metastases#48,896lovemaking#48,869

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

obstetric14 variantsmulticast14 variantsMortensen14 variantsphonetics14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list