number one
"number-one" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“number one” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - First; foremost; best, often used after its headword.
Corpus desk
Index EN-number-one · number one · English
number one · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "N" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | number one |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “number one” in English
Rare enough to double-check
number one is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for number one, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Piecewise doublet of numero uno. The correct English form is number one, spelled N-U-M-B-E-R- -O-N-E.
Definition
- 1First; foremost; best, often used after its headword.
- 2Black, African-American.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how number one appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Commuting to work is the number one reason to own a car.
He is my enemy number one.
Etymology
Piecewise doublet of numero uno.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.