nuclei
/ˈnjuː.kli.aɪ/
"nuclei" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nuclei” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,751. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #22,751
- frequency rank, English
- 24,391
- “N” headwords
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of nucleus
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nuclei |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnjuː.kli.aɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #22,751 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nuclei” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 8 spelling variants around nuclei (IPA /ˈnjuː.kli.aɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,751 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of nucleus".
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for nuclei, with forms such as "nculei", "nnuclei", and "nucclei". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "nucleus", "nucleic", "nuclear", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is nuclei, spelled N-U-C-L-E-I.
Definition
- 1plural of nucleus
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- nculei
- nnuclei
- nucclei
- nuceli
- nuclie
- nucllei
- nulcei
- unclei
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nuclei - 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.
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 "nuclei"?
What does "nuclei" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "nuclei"?
How do you pronounce "nuclei"?
What language does "nuclei" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nuclei”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-U-C-L-E-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnjuː.kli.aɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nucleus” - see the side-by-side comparison. nuclei vs nucleus
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.