nursery

/ˈnɜːsəɹi/

//ˈnɜːsəɹi// noun

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

"nursery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nursery” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,462. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,462
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

nursery vs nurse
71% similar

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

Key facts for nursery
PropertyValue
Headwordnursery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɜːsəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,462
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nursery” 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). nursery lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around nursery (IPA /ˈnɜːsəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,462 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for nursery, with forms such as "nnursery", "nrusery", and "nuresry". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "nurse", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nur… The correct English form is nursery, spelled N-U-R-S-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.
  2. 2
    A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.
  3. 3
    A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.
  4. 4
    A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.
  5. 5
    A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.
  6. 6
    A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.
  7. 7
    A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.
  8. 8
    Something which educates and nurtures.
  9. 9
    Ellipsis of nursery cannon (“a carom shot involving balls that are very close together”).
  10. 10
    Someone or something that is nursed; a nursling.
  11. 11
    The act of nursing or rearing.

Etymology

From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nurse”)) + -erie (suffix forming feminine nouns). Norrice and nourrice are derived from Late Latin nūtrīcia (“wet nurse”), from Latin nūtrīcius (“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”), from nūtriō (“to breastfeed, nurse, suckle”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow”). The English word may be analysed as nourice, nurse + -ery (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘place of’).

This word in other languages

criadero(Español)crèche(Français)Kinderstube(Deutsch)sementeira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnursery
  • nrusery
  • nuresry
  • nurrsery
  • nurserry
  • nurseryy
  • nurseyr
  • nursrey
  • nurssery
  • nusrery
  • unrsery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nursery - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nnursery1nrusery2nuresry2nurrsery1nurserry1nurseryy1nurseyr2nursrey2
Edit distance from "nursery"

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 "nursery"?
"nursery" is spelled N-U-R-S-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɜːsəɹi/.
What does "nursery" mean?
As a noun, "nursery" means: A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.
What words are commonly confused with "nursery"?
"nursery" is commonly confused with "nurse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nursery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nursery" is /ˈnɜːsəɹi/. 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 "nursery"?
From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nann... 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 “nursery”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-U-R-S-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɜːsəɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “nurse” - see the side-by-side comparison. nursery vs nurse
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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