nubile

/ˈnubaɪl/

//ˈnubaɪl// adj

"nubile" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nubile” is uncommon English (frequency #71,746 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,746
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable (principally of a young woman).

Key facts for nubile
PropertyValue
Headwordnubile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnubaɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,746
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nubile” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). nubile lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nubile is uncommon English at frequency #71,746 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnubaɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for nubile, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French nubile, from Latin nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph), but thi… The correct English form is nubile, spelled N-U-B-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable (principally of a young woman).
  2. 2
    Sexually attractive (especially of a young woman).

Etymology

From French nubile, from Latin nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph), but this is disputed.

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

How do you spell "nubile"?
"nubile" is spelled N-U-B-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnubaɪl/.
What does "nubile" mean?
As an adjective, "nubile" means: Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable (principally of a young woman).
How do you pronounce "nubile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nubile" is /ˈnubaɪl/. 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 "nubile"?
From French nubile, from Latin nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph... 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.

Using “nubile”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-U-B-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnubaɪl/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list