# nugget

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈnʌɡət/ · frequency rank #23,617

## Definitions
1. A small, compact chunk or clump.
2. A chicken nugget.
3. A tidbit of something valuable.
4. A small piece of tasty food, a tidbit.
5. A type of boot polish.
6. A bud from the Cannabis sativa plant, especially one that is potent.
7. An inexperienced, newly trained fighter pilot.
8. A partial description gleaned from data mining.
9. A person with no arms or legs; a basket case.
10. An item that is typically old and of dubious quality or poor condition.

## Etymology
Uncertain, first attested in reference to animals & people in Scotland and in reference to ore chunks in Australia. Possibly from southern English nug (“lump, block”) or Scottish knudge/nudge (“short, sturdy person or animal”) + -et (“forming diminutives”) or from rebracketed alteration of an ingot as a ni(n)got.

## Easily confused with
- **nudge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nudge-vs-nugget)
- **nigger** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nigger-vs-nugget)
- **Nugent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nugent-vs-nugget)

## Common misspellings (7)
`nguget`, `nnugget`, `nugegt`, `nuget`, `nuggett`, `nuggte`, `ungget`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nugget