nub
/nʌb/
"nub" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nub” is uncommon English (frequency #50,118 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #50,118
- frequency rank, English
- 1,534
- “N” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The innermost section of a chrysalis in a silk cocoon.
Corpus desk
Index EN-nub · nub · English
nub · rank #50,118 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #50,118
- LEN-MID 3 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,534
- PHOTO-FINISH nott
Nearest frequency peer: nott (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “nub”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- nosey
nosey
49,885 corpus weight
- nott
nott
49,884 corpus weight
- nub
nub
49,883 corpus weight
- Nuer
Nuer
49,882 corpus weight
- nutritional…
nutritionally
49,881 corpus weight
- O'Callaghan
O'Callaghan
49,880 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “nub” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nub |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /nʌb/ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #50,118 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “nub” in English
Rare enough to double-check
nub is uncommon English at frequency #50,118 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nʌb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for nub in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob. The correct English form is nub, spelled N-U-B.
Definition
- 1The innermost section of a chrysalis in a silk cocoon.
- 2A small knob or lump.
- 3The essence or core of an issue, argument etc.
- 4The clitoris.
- 5A pointing stick.
- 6A passage of Shakespearean blank verse.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how nub appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
What do you think is the nub of the problem?
Very often, of course, the rambling and disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, point, snapper, or whatever you like to call it.
Etymology
Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob.
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); 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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "nub", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).