nonsense

/ˈnɒn.səns/

//ˈnɒn.səns// noun

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

"nonsense" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nonsense” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,067. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,067
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nonsense · nonsense · English

nonsense · rank #5,067 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,067
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH negotiations

Nearest frequency peer: negotiations (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “nonsense”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “nonsense” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nonsense
PropertyValue
Headwordnonsense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɒn.səns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,067
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nonsense” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).nonsenselands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “negotiations” (#5,066), “Ontario” (#5,068), “NASA” (#5,065). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around nonsense (IPA /ˈnɒn.səns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,067 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for nonsense, with forms such as "nnonsense", "nnosense", and "nonesnse". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From non- (“no, none, lack of”) + sense, from c. 1610. Compare the semantically similar West Frisian ûnsin (“nonsense”), Dutch onzin (“nonsense”), German Unsinn (“nonsense”), English unsense (“nonsense”). The correct English form is nonsense, spelled N-O-N-S-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.
  2. 2
    An untrue statement.
  3. 3
    That which is silly, illogical and lacks any meaning, reason or value; that which does not make sense.
  4. 4
    Something foolish.
  5. 5
    A type of poetry that contains strange or surreal ideas, as, for example, that written by Edward Lear.
  6. 6
    A damaged DNA sequence whose products are not biologically active, that is, that does nothing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After my father had a stroke, every time he tried to talk, it sounded like nonsense.
  2. You have seen it for yourselves in the play by Aristophanes, where Socrates goes whirling round, proclaiming that he is walking on air, and uttering a great deal of other nonsense about things of which I know nothing whatsoever.

Etymology

From non- (“no, none, lack of”) + sense, from c. 1610. Compare the semantically similar West Frisian ûnsin (“nonsense”), Dutch onzin (“nonsense”), German Unsinn (“nonsense”), English unsense (“nonsense”).

Synonyms

falsehoodlieuntruthabsurdityrubbishtoshabsurditysillinesscontradictionstupidityunreasoningall my eyeall my eye and Betty Martinapplesaucebafflegabbalderdashballsbaloneybanana oilBandinibaragouinbatcrapbatshitbilgewaterblahblatherblatherskitebobbinsbollocksboshBSbullbullcrapbulldustbull feathersbullshitbullspeakbunkbunkumbushwahclamjamfreyclaptrapcobblerscodswallopcrapcrockcrock of shitdouble Dutchdouble talkdoublespeakdribbledriveleyewashfiddle-faddleflapdoodleflim-flamflizzflummeryfolderolfoolishnessfootleframisfuckeryfuckryfudgegalimatiasgarbagegarblegibbergibberishgobbledygookgossipGreekguffguphoaxhocus-pocushogwashhokumhooeyhorse cockhorsefeathershorse hockeyhorse pisshorse puckeyhorseshithumbugIrish bulljabberjargonjibber-jabberjimjamjivejunklallationmacaronimalarkeymanuremeaninglessnessmoonshinemumbo jumbonertznonsensepie in the skypifflepigswillpoppycockprattleput-onrhubarbrhubarb rhubarbrigmarolerotrusesantorumshitshiteskimble-skamblesquitstuffstuff and nonsensetommy-rottrittle trattletushtrashtripetwaddlewasswhiff-whaffword salad

Antonyms

nonnonsenseplain Englishsense

This word in other languages

tontería(Español)bêtise(Français)Blödsinn(Deutsch)bobagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnonsense
  • nnosense
  • nonesnse
  • nonnsense
  • nonsenes
  • nonsennse
  • nonsensse
  • nonsesne
  • nonsnese
  • nonssense
  • nosnense
  • onnsense

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nonsense - 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.

nnonsense1nnosense2nonesnse2nonnsense1nonsenes2nonsennse1nonsensse1nonsesne2
Edit distance from "nonsense"

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 "nonsense"?
"nonsense" is spelled N-O-N-S-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɒn.səns/.
What does "nonsense" mean?
As a noun, "nonsense" means: Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.
What are common misspellings of "nonsense"?
Common misspellings include "nnonsense", "nnosense", "nonesnse", "nonnsense", "nonsenes". The correct spelling is "nonsense".
How do you pronounce "nonsense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nonsense" is /ˈnɒn.səns/. 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 "nonsense"?
From non- (“no, none, lack of”) + sense, from c. 1610. Compare the semantically similar West Frisian ûnsin (“nonsense”), Dutch onzin (“nonsense”), German Unsinn (“nonsense”), English unsense (“nonsense”). 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 "nonsense", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

listened#5,060relating#5,076Robinson#5,078imperial#5,054

Similar misspelling depth

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

gradually12 variantsflights12 variantsEgyptian12 variantscheating12 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "nonsense". Here's where to go from here.

  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,067 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "N" letter cohort. N–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list