nymph

/ˈnɪmf/

//ˈnɪmf// noun

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

"nymph" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nymph” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,208. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,208
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any female nature spirit associated with water, forests, grotto, wind, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nymph · nymph · English

nymph · rank #34,208 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #34,208
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nox

Nearest frequency peer: nox (-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 “nymph”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nymph” 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).

nymph vs NYPD
0% similar

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

Key facts for nymph
PropertyValue
Headwordnymph
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɪmf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,208
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nymph”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).nymphlands 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 “nox” (#34,207), “oceanography” (#34,209), “Nieto” (#34,206). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nymph” is #34,208. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around nymph (IPA /ˈnɪmf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,208 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nymph, with forms such as "nmyph", "nnymph", and "nymhp". 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, "NYPD", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nimphe, from Old English nymphē and Old French nimphe, both from Latin nympha (“nymph, bride”), from Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride”). Doublet of nympha. The correct English form is nymph, spelled N-Y-M-P-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any female nature spirit associated with water, forests, grotto, wind, etc.
  2. 2
    A young girl, especially one who is attractive, beautiful or graceful.
  3. 3
    The larva of certain insects.
  4. 4
    Any of various butterflies of the family Nymphalidae.

Etymology

From Middle English nimphe, from Old English nymphē and Old French nimphe, both from Latin nympha (“nymph, bride”), from Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride”). Doublet of nympha.

This word in other languages

ninfa(Español)nymphe(Français)Nymphe(Deutsch)ninfa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nmyph
  • nnymph
  • nymhp
  • nymmph
  • nymphh
  • nympph
  • nypmh
  • nyymph
  • ynmph

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nymph - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nmyph2nnymph1nymhp2nymmph1nymphh1nympph1nypmh2nyymph1
Edit distance from "nymph"

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 "nymph"?
"nymph" is spelled N-Y-M-P-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪmf/.
What does "nymph" mean?
As a noun, "nymph" means: Any female nature spirit associated with water, forests, grotto, wind, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "nymph"?
"nymph" is commonly confused with "NYPD". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nymph"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nymph" is /ˈnɪmf/. 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 "nymph"?
From Middle English nimphe, from Old English nymphē and Old French nimphe, both from Latin nympha (“nymph, bride”), from Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride”). Doublet of nympha. 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 "nymph", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nieto#34,206Mikel#34,196Mavis#34,186prawn#34,231

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Oedipus9 variantsnecked9 variantsmuddled9 variantsMordor9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list