nuthatch
/ˈnʌtˌhæt͡ʃ/
"nuthatch" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“nuthatch” is uncommon English (frequency #95,202 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #95,202
- frequency rank, English
- 24,391
- “N” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various small passerine birds from the genus Sitta, found throughout the northern hemisphere and noted for their unusual proclivity for climbing down trees head first.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nuthatch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnʌtˌhæt͡ʃ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #95,202 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nuthatch” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
nuthatch is uncommon English at frequency #95,202 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnʌtˌhæt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of various small passerine birds from the genus Sitta, found throughout the northern hemisphere and noted for their unusual proclivity for climbing down trees head first.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for nuthatch, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nutthache, notehache, nuthake, nuttehake, nothak, equivalent to nut + hatch. Compare English nutcracker. The correct English form is nuthatch, spelled N-U-T-H-A-T-C-H.
Definition
- 1Any of various small passerine birds from the genus Sitta, found throughout the northern hemisphere and noted for their unusual proclivity for climbing down trees head first.
Etymology
From Middle English nutthache, notehache, nuthake, nuttehake, nothak, equivalent to nut + hatch. Compare English nutcracker.
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 "nuthatch"?
What does "nuthatch" mean?
How do you pronounce "nuthatch"?
What is the origin of the word "nuthatch"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nuthatch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-U-T-H-A-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnʌtˌhæt͡ʃ/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.