Norwegian

/nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/

//nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩// name

"norwegian" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Norwegian” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,719 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#7,719
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The language of Norway, which has two official forms (written standards): Bokmål and Nynorsk.

Key facts for Norwegian
PropertyValue
HeadwordNorwegian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,719
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Norwegian” 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). Norwegian lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Norwegian is 9 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,719 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The language of Norway, which has two official forms (written standards): Bokmål and Nynorsk.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Norwegian, with forms such as "nnorwegian", "norewgian", and "norrwegian". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin Norvegia (from Old Norse Norvegr (“Norway”)) + -an, with v replaced by w due to influence from earlier English Norwayan (“Norwegian”). The correct English form is Norwegian, spelled N-O-R-W-E-G-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The language of Norway, which has two official forms (written standards): Bokmål and Nynorsk.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin Norvegia (from Old Norse Norvegr (“Norway”)) + -an, with v replaced by w due to influence from earlier English Norwayan (“Norwegian”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nnorwegian,norewgian,norrwegian,norwegain,norweggian,norwegiann,norwegina,norweigan,norwgeian,norwwegian,nowregian,nrowegian,onrwegian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Norwegian - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nnorwegian1norewgian2norrwegian1norwegain2norweggian1norwegiann1norwegina2norweigan2
Edit distance from "Norwegian"

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 "Norwegian"?
"Norwegian" is spelled N-O-R-W-E-G-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/.
What does "Norwegian" mean?
As a proper noun, "Norwegian" means: The language of Norway, which has two official forms (written standards): Bokmål and Nynorsk.
What are common misspellings of "Norwegian"?
Common misspellings include "nnorwegian", "norewgian", "norrwegian", "norwegain", "norweggian". The correct spelling is "Norwegian".
How do you pronounce "Norwegian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Norwegian" is /nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/. 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 "Norwegian"?
From Medieval Latin Norvegia (from Old Norse Norvegr (“Norway”)) + -an, with v replaced by w due to influence from earlier English Norwayan (“Norwegian”). 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 “Norwegian”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-R-W-E-G-I-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɔːˈwiː.d͡ʒn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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