wingnut

/ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/

//ˈwɪŋˌnʌt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wingnut” is uncommon English (frequency #94,442 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,442
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native to Asia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wingnut · wingnut · English

wingnut · rank #94,442 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,442
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH windlass

Nearest frequency peer: windlass (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “wingnut”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “wingnut” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wingnut
PropertyValue
Headwordwingnut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,442
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wingnut” in English

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).wingnutfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “windlass” (#94,441), “windage” (#94,440), “Wilke” (#94,439). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wingnut” is #94,442. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wingnut is uncommon English at frequency #94,442 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for wingnut, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wing + nut. The political sense is a shortening of "right-wing nut". The correct English form is wingnut, spelled W-I-N-G-N-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native to Asia.
  2. 2
    A person who is or seems odd, eccentric, or crazy; especially, someone with bizarre or extreme political views.
  3. 3
    A member of the air force (in a town that hosts a USAF installation).
  4. 4
    A person with large ears.
  5. 5
    Alternative form of wing nut (“(mechanical) nut with wing-like projections”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: nut, nut job, nut case, crank, weirdo; see also Thesaurus:strange person, Thesaurus:mad person
  2. On November 21, evangelist Franklin Graham (son of the late Rev. Billy Graham and a strident Trump supporter) discussed impeachment when he appeared on fellow wingnut Eric Metaxas’ radio show.

Etymology

From wing + nut. The political sense is a shortening of "right-wing nut".

This word in other languages

Spinner(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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wingnut"?
"wingnut" is spelled W-I-N-G-N-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/.
What does "wingnut" mean?
As a noun, "wingnut" means: A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native to Asia.
How do you pronounce "wingnut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wingnut" is /ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/. 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 "wingnut"?
From wing + nut. The political sense is a shortening of "right-wing nut". 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 "wingnut", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

windage#94,440Whitsun#94,435Vandana#94,405unction#94,382

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list