nonwhite

adj

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

The verdict

“nonwhite” is uncommon English (frequency #63,109 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,109
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not white in color.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nonwhite · nonwhite · English

nonwhite · rank #63,109 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,109
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Norden

Nearest frequency peer: Norden (+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 “nonwhite”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nonwhite
PropertyValue
Headwordnonwhite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#63,109
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nonwhite” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nonwhitefalls 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: “Norden” (#63,110), “niceness” (#63,106), “newspaperman” (#63,105). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nonwhite” is #63,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nonwhite is uncommon English at frequency #63,109 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

nonwhite doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, 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- + white. The correct English form is nonwhite, spelled N-O-N-W-H-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not white in color.
  2. 2
    Not belonging to the white race.
  3. 3
    Not associated with white people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. By 2016, however, a divide that started appearing in the preceding few years came into full relief—that year, 29% of nonwhite liberals (28% of nonwhite Democrats) and 38% of Black liberals (34% of Black Democrats), disagreed that “Blacks should work their way up without special favors.”

Etymology

From non- + white.

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 "nonwhite"?
"nonwhite" is spelled N-O-N-W-H-I-T-E.
What does "nonwhite" mean?
As an adjective, "nonwhite" means: Not white in color.
What is the origin of the word "nonwhite"?
From non- + white. 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 "nonwhite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list