nu
/nu/noun, interjection, adjective
nu is spelled N-U: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Nu, the name). As a noun, nu means “The letter of the Greek alphabet Ν (N) and ν (n)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nu is nus.
How many letters and syllables are in nu?
| Letters | 2: N-U |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nu?
Nu appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Nu, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce nu?
- UK /njuː/
- US /nu/
As an interjection (“An exclamation of surprise, emphasis, doubt, etc”): /nu/.
Nu has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-nu.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with nu
Sounds like: new (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with nu?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nu from its last stressed vowel (/u/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nu
- nus plural
- more nu comparative
- most nu superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nu mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The letter of the Greek alphabet Ν (N) and ν (n).
- 2
A measure of constringence in lenses or prisms.
interjection
- 1
An exclamation of surprise, emphasis, doubt, etc.
- 2
Well? (Used as a question to demand an answer from someone reluctant to answer.)
adjective
- 1
new
adjective
- 1
Initialism of nonunion.
adjective
- 1
derogatoryslangNew, especially used of remakes seen as a travesty or pale imitation of the original.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nu in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense name for the letter of the Greek alphabet: Ν and ν:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does nu come from?
From Ancient Greek νῦ (nû), name for the letter of the Greek alphabet Ν (N) and ν (n).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).