nonchalant
/ˌnɑn.ʃəˈlɑnt/adjective
nonchalant is spelled N-O-N-C-H-A-L-A-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “chalant vs nonchalant” about 1,600 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, nonchalant means “Casually calm and relaxed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nonchalant?
| Letters | 10: N-O-N-C-H-A-L-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nonchalant?
Nonchalant appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd 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 nonchalant?
- UK /ˈnɒn.ʃəl.ənt/
- US /ˌnɑn.ʃəˈlɑnt/
Nonchalant has 3 syllables (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-nonchalant.ogg, En-au-nonchalant.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with nonchalant
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with nonchalant?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nonchalant from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnt/):
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 nonchalant
- more nonchalant comparative
- most nonchalant superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nonchalant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Casually calm and relaxed.
We handled the whole frenetic situation with a nonchalant attitude.
- 2
Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.
He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nonchalant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décontracté , désinvolte |
| German | nonchalant, lässig , gleichgültig |
| Portuguese | descontraído , indiferente |
| Spanish | como las huevas (si), indolente |
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 nonchalant come from?
Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”), from non- (“not”) + chaloir (“to have concern for”), from Latin non (“not”) + calēre (“to be warm”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).