nota bene
/ˌnəʊtə ˈbɛneɪ/
"nota-bene" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nota bene” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Take special note; used to add an aside or warning to a text.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nota bene |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /ˌnəʊtə ˈbɛneɪ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nota bene” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
nota bene is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˌnəʊtə ˈbɛneɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Take special note; used to add an aside or warning to a text.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for nota bene, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”). The correct English form is nota bene, spelled N-O-T-A- -B-E-N-E.
Definition
- 1Take special note; used to add an aside or warning to a text.
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “nota bene”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-O-T-A- -B-E-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌnəʊtə ˈbɛneɪ/ (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.