nuptials

/ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/

//ˈnʌp.ʃəlz// noun

"nuptials" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nuptials” is an uncommon English word, ranked #50,703 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#50,703
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A wedding ceremony.

Key facts for nuptials
PropertyValue
Headwordnuptials
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#50,703
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nuptials” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for nuptials is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/. Corpus data places it at rank #50,703 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A wedding ceremony.".

No misspelling variants are generated for nuptials in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nuptial, borrowed from Latin nūptiālis (“pertaining to marriage”), from nūptiae (“wedding”) (also plural only), from nūpta, from nūbō (“to marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *sneubho-, *snewbʰ- (“to marry, wed”). Cognate with French … The correct English form is nuptials, spelled N-U-P-T-I-A-L-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wedding ceremony.

Etymology

From nuptial, borrowed from Latin nūptiālis (“pertaining to marriage”), from nūptiae (“wedding”) (also plural only), from nūpta, from nūbō (“to marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *sneubho-, *snewbʰ- (“to marry, wed”). Cognate with French noces and Italian nozze.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "nuptials"?
"nuptials" is spelled N-U-P-T-I-A-L-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/.
What does "nuptials" mean?
As a noun, "nuptials" means: A wedding ceremony.
How do you pronounce "nuptials"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nuptials" is /ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/. 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 "nuptials"?
From nuptial, borrowed from Latin nūptiālis (“pertaining to marriage”), from nūptiae (“wedding”) (also plural only), from nūpta, from nūbō (“to marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *sneubho-, *snewbʰ- (“to marry, wed”). Cognate wi... 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.

Using “nuptials”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-U-P-T-I-A-L-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnʌp.ʃəlz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list