null

/nʌl/

//nʌl// noun

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

"null" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“null” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #10,735) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#10,735
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A non-existent or empty value or set of values.

Corpus desk

Index EN-null · null · English

null · rank #10,735 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,735
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH notify

Nearest frequency peer: notify (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “null”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “null” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

null vs nut
50% similar
null vs nun
50% similar
null vs Nur
25% similar

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

Key facts for null
PropertyValue
Headwordnull
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nʌl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,735
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “null”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “notify” (#10,734), “ole” (#10,736), “oops” (#10,737). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “null” is #10,735. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for null is neighbouring look-alikes ("nut", "nun", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /nʌl/. Frequency #10,735 among 1,534 “N” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for null, with forms such as "nlul", "nnull", and "nul". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "nut", "nun", "Nur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French nul, from Latin nūllus. The correct English form is null, spelled N-U-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A non-existent or empty value or set of values.
  2. 2
    Zero quantity of expressions; nothing.
  3. 3
    Something that has no force or meaning.
  4. 4
    The null character; the ASCII or Unicode character (␀), represented by a zero value, which indicates no character and is sometimes used as a string terminator.
  5. 5
    The attribute of an entity that has no valid value.
  6. 6
    One of the beads in nulled work.
  7. 7
    The null hypothesis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The kindes of Cyphars, (beſides the Simple Cyphars with Changes, and the intermixtures of Nvlles, and Nonsignificants) are many, according to the Nature or Rule of infoulding : Wheele-Cyphars, Kay-Cyphars, Dovbles, &c.
  2. Since no date of birth was entered for the patient, his age is null.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French nul, from Latin nūllus.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nlul
  • nnull
  • nul
  • unll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nlul2nnull1nul1unll2
Edit distance from "null"

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 "null"?
"null" is spelled N-U-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /nʌl/.
What does "null" mean?
As a noun, "null" means: A non-existent or empty value or set of values.
What words are commonly confused with "null"?
"null" is commonly confused with "nut", "nun", "Nur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "null"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "null" is /nʌl/. 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 "null"?
Borrowed from Middle French nul, from Latin nūllus. 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 "null", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oops#10,737pact#10,740mann#10,725lava#10,720

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list