nonspecific

adj

"nonspecific" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nonspecific” is uncommon English (frequency #60,316 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,316
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not specific or precise, as:

Key facts for nonspecific
PropertyValue
Headwordnonspecific
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters11
Frequency rank#60,316
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nonspecific” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). nonspecific lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nonspecific is uncommon English at frequency #60,316 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for nonspecific in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From non- + specific. The correct English form is nonspecific, spelled N-O-N-S-P-E-C-I-F-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not specific or precise, as:
  2. 2
    Not specific or precise, as:
  3. 3
    Not specific or precise, as:
  4. 4
    Not specific or precise, as:
  5. 5
    Not specific or precise, as:

Etymology

From non- + specific.

Synonyms

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 "nonspecific"?
"nonspecific" is spelled N-O-N-S-P-E-C-I-F-I-C.
What does "nonspecific" mean?
As an adjective, "nonspecific" means: Not specific or precise, as:
What is the origin of the word "nonspecific"?
From non- + specific. 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.

Using “nonspecific”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-N-S-P-E-C-I-F-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list