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PlainSpell

nutmeg

/ˈnʌt.mɛɡ/noun, verb

nutmeg is spelled N-U-T-M-E-G: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nutmeg means “An evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) cultivated in the East Indies for its spicy seeds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nutmeg is nutmegs.

How many letters and syllables are in nutmeg?

Letters6: N-U-T-M-E-G
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is nutmeg?

Nutmeg appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce nutmeg?

  • /ˈnʌt.mɛɡ/

Nutmeg has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nutmeg.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of nutmeg

  • nutmegs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • nutmegging participle, present
  • nutmegged participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does nutmeg mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    An evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) cultivated in the East Indies for its spicy seeds.

  2. 2

    The powdered seed, ready for use.

  3. 3

    A whole nutmeg seed.

  4. 4

    A small moth, Hadula trifolii, feeding on plants and native to the Northern Hemisphere.

  5. 5

    A grey-brown colour.

  6. 6

    The playing of the ball between the legs of an opponent.

verb

  1. 1

    To flavour with nutmeg.

    She decided the eggnog was lacking in flavor, so she decided to nutmeg it heavily.

  2. 2

    To play the ball between the legs of (an opponent).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Nutmeg in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchmuscadier (tree), noix de muscade, noix muscade (spice), petit pont (soccer/football sense), muscader (to flavour), faire un petit pont ((soccer) to play the ball between the legs of…)
GermanMuskatnussbaum, Muskatbaum (tree), Muskat, Muskatnuss (spice), Tunnel, Beinschuss (soccer/football sense)
Portuguesenoz-moscada (tree), túnel, cueca, caneta, sainha (soccer/football sense)
Spanishárbol de la nuez moscada, mirística (tree), nuez moscada (spice), caño, túnel (soccer/football sense), hacer un túnel ((soccer) to play the ball between the legs of…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does nutmeg come from?

From Middle English notemege, notemuge, a partial translation of Medieval Latin nux muga, a variant of Medieval Latin nux muscata (“musky nut”). Compare also Old French nois mugede. For the term used in various ball sports, see Wikipedia.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after nutmeg