nuance
/ˈnju.ɑns/noun, verb
nuance is spelled N-U-A-N-C-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nuance means “A minor distinction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nuance is nuances.
How many letters and syllables are in nuance?
| Letters | 6: N-U-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is nuance?
Nuance appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce nuance?
- UK /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/
- UK /njuː.ɒ̃(n)s/
- US /ˈnju.ɑns/
Nuance has 2 syllables (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-nuance.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Simplificationalizer-nuance.wav, En-au-nuance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nuance
- nuances plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- nuancing participle, present
- nuanced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nuance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A minor distinction.
hidden nuances
- 2
Subtlety or fine detail.
Understanding the basics is easy, but appreciating the nuances takes years.
verb
- 1
To apply a nuance to; to change or redefine in a subtle way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nuance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nuance, détail , subtilité , détailler |
| German | Nuance , nuancieren |
| Portuguese | nuance, nuança, sutileza, matiz |
| Spanish | matiz, prestancia , cariz, pormenor , matizar |
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 nuance come from?
Borrowed from French nuance (“nuance, shade, hue”). Omitting several steps, from Latin nūbēs. Compare typologically Italian sfumatura (< Latin fūmus).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).