nurture

/ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/

//ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“nurture” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,400. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,400
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care

Corpus desk

Index EN-nurture · nurture · English

nurture · rank #19,400 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #19,400
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NEC

Nearest frequency peer: NEC (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nurture”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nurture” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

nurture vs nature
71% similar

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

Key facts for nurture
PropertyValue
Headwordnurture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,400
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nurture”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nurturelands 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 “NEC” (#19,399), “oblivious” (#19,401), “ode” (#19,402). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nurture” is #19,400. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around nurture (IPA /ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,400 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for nurture, with forms such as "nnurture", "nruture", and "nurrture". 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, "nature", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”). The correct English form is nurture, spelled N-U-R-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
  2. 2
    That which nourishes; food; diet.
  3. 3
    The environmental influences that contribute to a person’s development (as opposed to "nature").
  4. 4
    The act or process of encouraging the growth or development of something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Other great houses there bee of the English in Ireland, which thorough licentious conversing with the Irish, or marrying, or fostering with them, or lacke of meete nurture, or other such unhappy occasions, have degendred from their auncient dignities, and are now growne as Irish, as O-hanlans breech, as the proverbe there is.
  2. A Deuill, a borne-Deuill, on whoſe nature / Nurture can neuer ſticke :

Etymology

From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”).

This word in other languages

crianza(Español)élever(Français)Umsorgen(Deutsch)criação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnurture
  • nruture
  • nurrture
  • nurtrue
  • nurtture
  • nurtuer
  • nurturre
  • nurutre
  • nutrure
  • unrture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nurture - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nnurture1nruture2nurrture1nurtrue2nurtture1nurtuer2nurturre1nurutre2
Edit distance from "nurture"

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 "nurture"?
"nurture" is spelled N-U-R-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/.
What does "nurture" mean?
As a noun, "nurture" means: The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
What words are commonly confused with "nurture"?
"nurture" is commonly confused with "nature". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nurture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nurture" is /ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/. 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 "nurture"?
From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”). 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 "nurture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

myspace#19,397midtown#19,391midterm#19,390paisley#19,410

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

pajamas10 variantsMcGuire10 variantsmailbox10 variantsPotomac10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list