nonplussed

/nɒnˈplʌst/

//nɒnˈplʌst// adj

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

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

The verdict

“nonplussed” is uncommon English (frequency #82,598 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,598
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nonplussed · nonplussed · English

nonplussed · rank #82,598 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,598
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nootka

Nearest frequency peer: Nootka (+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 “nonplussed”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nonplussed
PropertyValue
Headwordnonplussed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/nɒnˈplʌst/
Letters10
Frequency rank#82,598
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nonplussed” 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).nonplussedfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Nootka” (#82,599), “nucleon” (#82,601), “numismatics” (#82,602). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nonplussed” is #82,598. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nonplussed is uncommon English at frequency #82,598 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /nɒnˈplʌst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for nonplussed, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nonplus (“state of bewilderment or perplexity”, noun) or nonplus (“to bewilder or perplex (someone)”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives, and the past tense and past participle forms of verbs). Nonplus (noun) is derived from Latin nōn plūs (“no fur… The correct English form is nonplussed, spelled N-O-N-P-L-U-S-S-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.
  2. 2
    Unaffected, unfazed; unimpressed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [N]ote the honeſt Quaker vvas nonpluſſed, and greatly ſurprized at that Queſtion.
  2. I could not discern what she meant, and I would not ask her: I was nonplussed.

Etymology

From nonplus (“state of bewilderment or perplexity”, noun) or nonplus (“to bewilder or perplex (someone)”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives, and the past tense and past participle forms of verbs). Nonplus (noun) is derived from Latin nōn plūs (“no further, no more”), from nōn (“not”) + plūs (“additionally, more; further”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)). The etymological sense is similar to being left speechless as a result of confusion: the nonplussed person can say or do “no more”. Adjective sense 2 (“unaffected”) is probably from a misinterpretation of the first element of the word as the prefix non- meaning “not”.

This word in other languages

perplejo(Español)déconcerté(Français)verblüfft(Deutsch)desconcertado(Português)

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 "nonplussed"?
"nonplussed" is spelled N-O-N-P-L-U-S-S-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒnˈplʌst/.
What does "nonplussed" mean?
As an adjective, "nonplussed" means: Unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.
How do you pronounce "nonplussed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nonplussed" is /nɒnˈplʌst/. 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 "nonplussed"?
From nonplus (“state of bewilderment or perplexity”, noun) or nonplus (“to bewilder or perplex (someone)”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives, and the past tense and past participle forms of verbs). Nonplus (noun) is derived from Latin nōn plū... 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 "nonplussed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Nederlands#82,585optimality#82,623Papandreou#82,638pentathlon#82,652

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list