Nosferatu

/ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː/

//ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“Nosferatu” is uncommon English (frequency #58,888 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,888
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A vampire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nosferatu · Nosferatu · English

Nosferatu · rank #58,888 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,888
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NMDA

Nearest frequency peer: NMDA (-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 “Nosferatu”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Nosferatu
PropertyValue
HeadwordNosferatu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː/
Letters9
Frequency rank#58,888
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Nosferatu” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Nosferatufalls 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: “NMDA” (#58,887), “notching” (#58,889), “nisi” (#58,886). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “Nosferatu” is #58,888. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Nosferatu is uncommon English at frequency #58,888 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A vampire.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Nosferatu, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly from a Romanian word for vampire (cf. nesuferit). The term achieved popular currency through Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and F. W. Murnau's 1922 German film Nosferatu. See also: Wikipedia's article on the etymology of the word (and the referen… The correct English form is Nosferatu, spelled N-O-S-F-E-R-A-T-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vampire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Friend Arthur, if you had met that kiss [...] you would in time, when you had died, have become nosferatu, as they call it in Eastern Europe, and would all time make more of those Un-Deads that so have filled us with horror."
  2. Those of us who have dabbled much in the lore of the nosferatu tend to think of them as imaginative creations of the German and English Romantics, and not without reason.

Etymology

Possibly from a Romanian word for vampire (cf. nesuferit). The term achieved popular currency through Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and F. W. Murnau's 1922 German film Nosferatu. See also: Wikipedia's article on the etymology of the word (and the references there).

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 "Nosferatu"?
"Nosferatu" is spelled N-O-S-F-E-R-A-T-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː/.
What does "Nosferatu" mean?
As a noun, "Nosferatu" means: A vampire.
How do you pronounce "Nosferatu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nosferatu" is /ˌnɒsfəˈɹɑːtuː/. 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 "Nosferatu"?
Possibly from a Romanian word for vampire (cf. nesuferit). The term achieved popular currency through Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and F. W. Murnau's 1922 German film Nosferatu. See also: Wikipedia's article on the etymology of the word (and t... 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 "Nosferatu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Oppenheim#58,902Muscovite#58,872motorhome#58,868parodying#58,917

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list