northwest
north·west/nɔɹθˈwɛst/noun, adjective, adverb
northwest is spelled N-O-R-T-H-W-E-S-T: 9 letters and 2 syllables (north·west). It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “north-west vs northwest” about 40 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, northwest means “The intercardinal compass point halfway between west and north; specifically at a bearing of 315°” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of northwest is northwests.
How many letters and syllables are in northwest?
| Letters | 9: N-O-R-T-H-W-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: north·west |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th 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; 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 northwest?
Northwest appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th 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 northwest?
- US /nɔɹθˈwɛst/
- UK /nɔːθˈwɛst/
- British /noːθˈwɛst/
Northwest has 2 syllables, split north·west in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-northwest.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with northwest
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: nor'-west, north-west (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with northwest?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as northwest from its last stressed vowel (/ɛst/):
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 northwest
- northwests plural
- north-west UK
- nor'-west
- more northwest comparative
- most northwest superlative
- further northwest comparative
- farther northwest comparative
- furthest northwest superlative
- farthest northwest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does northwest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The intercardinal compass point halfway between west and north; specifically at a bearing of 315°.
adjective
- 1
Of, in or pertaining to the northwest; northwestern.
- 2
Situated toward or in the direction of the northwest; northwestward; northwesterly.
a northwest course
- 3
Coming from the northwest; northwesterly.
a northwest wind
adverb
- 1
Towards or in the direction of the northwest; northwestwards.
We are travelling northwest at the moment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate northwest?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of northwest: NW, Nw., nw..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Northwest in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense compass point:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nord-ouest |
| German | Nordwesten |
| Portuguese | noroeste |
| Spanish | noroeste, nordoeste, noroccidente, nordoccidente |
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 northwest come from?
From Middle English northwest, from Old English norþwest, equivalent to north + west.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).