nucleus

/ˈnjuː.kli.əs/

//ˈnjuː.kli.əs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"nucleus" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nucleus” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,203. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,203
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The core, central part of something, around which other elements are assembled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nucleus · nucleus · English

nucleus · rank #13,203 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,203
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH OC

Nearest frequency peer: OC (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nucleus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nucleus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nucleus vs nuclei
71% similar
nucleus vs nuclear
71% similar
nucleus vs nucleic
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for nucleus
PropertyValue
Headwordnucleus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnjuː.kli.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,203
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nucleus”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).nucleuslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “OC” (#13,204), “nineteen” (#13,201), “orbital” (#13,205). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nucleus” is #13,203. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around nucleus (IPA /ˈnjuː.kli.əs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,203 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for nucleus, with forms such as "nculeus", "nnucleus", and "nuccleus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "nuclei", "nuclear", "nucleic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin nucleus (“kernel, core”). The earliest uses refer to the head of a comet and the kernel of a seed, both recorded in Lexicon Technicum in 1704. The sense in atomic physics was coined by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1844 i… The correct English form is nucleus, spelled N-U-C-L-E-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The core, central part of something, around which other elements are assembled.
  2. 2
    An initial part or version that will receive additions.
  3. 3
    The massive, positively charged central part of an atom, made up of protons and neutrons.
  4. 4
    A large membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells which contains genetic material.
  5. 5
    A ganglion, cluster of many neuronal bodies where synapsing occurs.
  6. 6
    The central part of a syllable, most commonly a vowel.
  7. 7
    A small bee-hive used to create a colony from a larger existing one.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how nucleus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Situated in the centre of the largest agricultural basin in northern Formosa, T’ai-pei (population in 1964 was estimated to be 1,117,000) forms the nucleus of a major industrial area. The T’ai-pei industrial complex includes light and heavy industies within the urbanized area and also in several industrial suburbs, including Pan-ch’iao and Nan-chiang.
  2. This collection will form the nucleus of a new library.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin nucleus (“kernel, core”). The earliest uses refer to the head of a comet and the kernel of a seed, both recorded in Lexicon Technicum in 1704. The sense in atomic physics was coined by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1844 in a theoretical meaning.

This word in other languages

núcleo(Español)noyau(Français)Kern(Deutsch)núcleo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nculeus
  • nnucleus
  • nuccleus
  • nucelus
  • nuclesu
  • nucleuss
  • nuclleus
  • nuclues
  • nulceus
  • uncleus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nucleus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nculeus2nnucleus1nuccleus1nucelus2nuclesu2nucleuss1nuclleus1nuclues2
Edit distance from "nucleus"

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 "nucleus"?
"nucleus" is spelled N-U-C-L-E-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnjuː.kli.əs/.
What does "nucleus" mean?
As a noun, "nucleus" means: The core, central part of something, around which other elements are assembled.
What words are commonly confused with "nucleus"?
"nucleus" is commonly confused with "nuclei", "nuclear", "nucleic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nucleus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nucleus" is /ˈnjuː.kli.əs/. 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 "nucleus"?
Learned borrowing from Latin nucleus (“kernel, core”). The earliest uses refer to the head of a comet and the kernel of a seed, both recorded in Lexicon Technicum in 1704. The sense in atomic physics was coined by British scientist Michael Faraday... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "nucleus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

orbital#13,205marital#13,193leopard#13,186Kurdish#13,185

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Raleigh10 variantsKarachi10 variantshappiest10 variantsHalifax10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list