nudge
/nʌd͡ʒ/noun, verb
nudge is spelled N-U-D-G-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nudge means “A gentle push” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nudge is nudges.
How many letters and syllables are in nudge?
| Letters | 5: N-U-D-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nudge?
Nudge appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th 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 nudge?
- US /nʌd͡ʒ/
- Australia /nɐd͡ʒ/
Nudge has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nudge.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nudge?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nudge from its last stressed vowel (/ʌdʒ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nudge
- nudges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- nug
- nudging participle, present
- nudged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nudge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A gentle push.
give someone a nudge
- 2
A feature of instant messaging software used to get the attention of another user, as by shaking the conversation window or playing a sound.
- 3
The rotation by one step of a fruit machine reel of the player's choice.
Since the machine was showing two lemons and a cherry, I decided to try a nudge.
- 4
The use of positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions as ways to influence.
- 5
Alternative form of nudzh.
verb
- 1
To push against gently, especially in order to gain attention or give a signal.
- 2
To near or come close to something.
This year's profits are nudging the 10 million mark.
- 3
To move slightly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nudge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | petit coup de coude, petite tape amicale , nudge , donner un petit coup de coude, donner une petite tape amicale |
| German | Stups (leise oder heimlich), Schubs, Stoß, Stupser, Knuff, Puff |
| Portuguese | cutucão |
| Spanish | pequeño empujón, empujoncito, envite , empujar ligeramente, dar un empujoncito a, envidar |
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 nudge come from?
Circa 17th century, perhaps of North Germanic origin, related to Norwegian nugge, nyggje (“to push, rub, shove”), Icelandic nugga (“to rub, massage”), from the root of Proto-Germanic *hnōjaną (“to smooth, join together”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneh₂- (compare Ancient Greek κνάω (knáō, “to scratch, scrape”), source of English acnestis).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).