nuzzle

/ˈnʌzl̩/

//ˈnʌzl̩// verb

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

"nuzzle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nuzzle” is uncommon English (frequency #70,962 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,962
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nuzzle · nuzzle · English

nuzzle · rank #70,962 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,962
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH O'Conner

Nearest frequency peer: O'Conner (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “nuzzle”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “nuzzle” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for nuzzle
PropertyValue
Headwordnuzzle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈnʌzl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#70,962
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nuzzle” 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). nuzzle lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

nuzzle is uncommon English at frequency #70,962 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈnʌzl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for nuzzle in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *néh₂s The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) (from Old… The correct English form is nuzzle, spelled N-U-Z-Z-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
  2. 2
    To rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object.
  3. 3
    Chiefly of an animal: to dig (something, especially food) out of the ground using the nose or snout; to root.
  4. 4
    Often followed by in or into: to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
  5. 5
    Chiefly of an animal: to push the nose or snout into the ground to dig for something, especially food; to root, to rootle.
  6. 6
    Followed by down: to settle or lie comfortably and snugly in a bed, nest, etc.; to nestle.
  7. 7
    Chiefly followed by up or with: to press affectionately against someone or something; to nestle, to snuggle.
  8. 8
    To come into close contact with someone or something.
  9. 9
    To feel or probe with the fingers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]he Dogge nuſling his noſe vnder the necke of the Deare, the Wolfe glad to let the Lambe lye vpon hym to kéepe him warme, the Lyon ſuffering the Aſſe to caſt hys legge ouer him: preferring one honeſt vnmannerly friende, before a number of croutching picke-thankes.
  2. Shee [Wisdom] nuzzleth her ſelfe in his [the scholar's] boſom, cheriſheth his ſoule, lifts-vp his lovve-groueling thoghts as high as Heauen: […]

Etymology

PIE word *néh₂s The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s (“nose”)) + -ling, -lyng (suffix forming adverbs denoting direction, manner, or position); or * from nose (see above) + -el, -elen (diminutive or frequentative suffix) (in which case the English word is, by surface analysis, nose + -le (frequentative suffix)). Etymology 1 sense 2.3 (“to settle or lie comfortably and snugly”) is possibly influenced by nestle or nursle (frequentative of nurse). The noun is derived from the verb. Compare nozzle.

This word in other languages

fourrer son nez(Français)hätscheln(Deutsch)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nuzzle"?
"nuzzle" is spelled N-U-Z-Z-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnʌzl̩/.
What does "nuzzle" mean?
As a verb, "nuzzle" means: To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
How do you pronounce "nuzzle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nuzzle" is /ˈnʌzl̩/. 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 "nuzzle"?
PIE word *néh₂s The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”)... 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 "nuzzle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oocyte#70,973Moylan#70,930Pendle#70,998Phobos#71,005
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