nostril

/ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/

//ˈnɒs.tɹɪl// noun

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

"nostril" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nostril” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,519. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,519
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of the two orifices located on the nose (or on the beak of a bird); used as a passage for air and other gases to travel the nasal passages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nostril · nostril · English

nostril · rank #38,519 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #38,519
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nineveh

Nearest frequency peer: Nineveh (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nostril”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nostril” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nostril vs nostra
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for nostril
PropertyValue
Headwordnostril
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,519
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nostril”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Nineveh” (#38,518), “neb” (#38,516), “numeral” (#38,522). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nostril” is #38,519. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around nostril (IPA /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,519 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Either of the two orifices located on the nose (or on the beak of a bird); used as a passage for air and other gases to travel the nasal passages.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for nostril, with forms such as "nnostril", "nosrtil", and "nosstril". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nostra", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nostrille, from Old English nosþyrel. Compare Old Frisian nosterle (“nostril”), modern West Frisian noaster (“nostrill”). Compare also Middle Low German noster (“nostril”), from Proto-Germanic *nustriz (“nostril”). By surface analysis, n… The correct English form is nostril, spelled N-O-S-T-R-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of the two orifices located on the nose (or on the beak of a bird); used as a passage for air and other gases to travel the nasal passages.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. […]whether it bee that they bee broken winded and purſiue, or otherwiſe bitten and ſtung with venomous beaſts; in which caſes, there muſt be an injection made vp into the noſthrils, of the juice of Rue in wine.

Etymology

From Middle English nostrille, from Old English nosþyrel. Compare Old Frisian nosterle (“nostril”), modern West Frisian noaster (“nostrill”). Compare also Middle Low German noster (“nostril”), from Proto-Germanic *nustriz (“nostril”). By surface analysis, nose + thirl (“hole”).

This word in other languages

narina(Español)narine(Français)Nasenloch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnostril
  • nosrtil
  • nosstril
  • nostirl
  • nostrill
  • nostrli
  • nostrril
  • nosttril
  • notsril
  • nsotril
  • onstril

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nnostril1nosrtil2nosstril1nostirl2nostrill1nostrli2nostrril1nosttril1
Edit distance from "nostril"

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 "nostril"?
"nostril" is spelled N-O-S-T-R-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/.
What does "nostril" mean?
As a noun, "nostril" means: Either of the two orifices located on the nose (or on the beak of a bird); used as a passage for air and other gases to travel the nasal passages.
What words are commonly confused with "nostril"?
"nostril" is commonly confused with "nostra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nostril"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nostril" is /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/. 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 "nostril"?
From Middle English nostrille, from Old English nosþyrel. Compare Old Frisian nosterle (“nostril”), modern West Frisian noaster (“nostrill”). Compare also Middle Low German noster (“nostril”), from Proto-Germanic *nustriz (“nostril”). By surface a... 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 "nostril", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nineveh#38,518numeral#38,522offbeat#38,526Moseley#38,507

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Mordecai11 variantsmonotone11 variantsovercoat11 variantsoverused11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list