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
24,391
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.

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)

Where “nostril” 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). nostril lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). 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 24,391 “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.

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.

Using “nostril”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-S-T-R-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “nostra” - see the side-by-side comparison. nostril vs nostra
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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