nowadays

/ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/

//ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz// adv

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

"nowadays" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nowadays” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,989. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,989
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At the present time; in the current era.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nowadays · nowadays · English

nowadays · rank #5,989 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,989
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH noon

Nearest frequency peer: noon (-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 “nowadays”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nowadays” 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
Key facts for nowadays
PropertyValue
Headwordnowadays
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,989
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nowadays”

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).nowadayslands 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 “noon” (#5,988), “openly” (#5,990), “neighbor” (#5,987). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nowadays” is #5,989. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around nowadays (IPA /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #5,989 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "At the present time; in the current era.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for nowadays, with forms such as "nnowadays", "noawdays", and "nowaadys". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From now + adays. The correct English form is nowadays, spelled N-O-W-A-D-A-Y-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    At the present time; in the current era.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cars nowadays are more efficient.
  2. Me-thinkes miſtreſſe, you ſhould haue little reaſon for that: and yet to ſay the truth, reaſon and loue keepe little company together, now-adayes.

Etymology

From now + adays.

Synonyms

currentlyin this day and agenowthese daystoday

This word in other languages

actualmente(Español)actuellement(Français)gegenwärtig(Deutsch)hoje em dia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnowadays
  • noawdays
  • nowaadys
  • nowadasy
  • nowadayss
  • nowadayys
  • nowaddays
  • nowadyas
  • nowdaays
  • nowwadays
  • nwoadays
  • onwadays

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nowadays - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nnowadays1noawdays2nowaadys2nowadasy2nowadayss1nowadayys1nowaddays1nowadyas2
Edit distance from "nowadays"

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 "nowadays"?
"nowadays" is spelled N-O-W-A-D-A-Y-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/.
What does "nowadays" mean?
As an adverb, "nowadays" means: At the present time; in the current era.
What are common misspellings of "nowadays"?
Common misspellings include "nnowadays", "noawdays", "nowaadys", "nowadasy", "nowadayss". The correct spelling is "nowadays".
How do you pronounce "nowadays"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nowadays" is /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/. 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 "nowadays"?
From now + adays. 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 "nowadays", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

neighbor#5,987overview#5,991pathetic#5,995keyboard#5,978

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

sergeant12 variantseditorial12 variantsarchives12 variantsdefender12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list