# nostril

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/ · frequency rank #38,519

## Definitions
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **nostra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nostra-vs-nostril)

## Common misspellings (11)
`nnostril`, `nosrtil`, `nosstril`, `nostirl`, `nostrill`, `nostrli`, `nostrril`, `nosttril`, `notsril`, `nsotril`, `onstril`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nostril