niche

\niʃ\

/\niʃ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“niche” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #11,089 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,089
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Enfoncement pratiqué dans l’épaisseur d’un mur pour y placer une statue un buste, un vase, un poêle, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

niche vs nie
60% similar
niche vs nick
60% similar
niche vs Nike
40% similar

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

Key facts for niche
PropertyValue
Headwordniche
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\niʃ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,089
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “niche” sits in French 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). niche lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for niche is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \niʃ\. Corpus data places it at rank #11,089 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for niche, with forms such as "inche", "ncihe", and "nicche". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "nie", "nick", "Nike", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is niche, spelled N-I-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Enfoncement pratiqué dans l’épaisseur d’un mur pour y placer une statue un buste, un vase, un poêle, etc.
  2. 2
    Box, compartiment ménagé dans le dortoir d’un établissement scolaire pour loger un élève interne.
  3. 3
    Petite cabane en bois, garnie de paille, où couche un chien de garde.
  4. 4
    Segment de marché profitable, ciblant une clientèle particulière ou concernant certains produits ; secteur préservé, souvent protégé ou réservé.
  5. 5
    Position occupée par un organisme, une population ou plus généralement une espèce dans un écosystème (→ voir niche écologique).
  6. 6
    Période de temps durant laquelle les groupes parlementaires minoritaires ou d’opposition fixent l’ordre du jour de la chambre, à la place du gouvernement ou du groupe majoritaire.
  7. 7
    Niche cellulaire.

This word in other languages

niche(English)hornacina(Español)Nische(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inche,ncihe,nicche,niceh,nichhe,nihce,nniche

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inche2ncihe2nicche1niceh2nichhe1nihce2nniche1
Edit distance from "niche"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "niche"?
"niche" is spelled N-I-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is \niʃ\.
What does "niche" mean?
As a noun, "niche" means: Enfoncement pratiqué dans l’épaisseur d’un mur pour y placer une statue un buste, un vase, un poêle, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "niche"?
"niche" is commonly confused with "nie", "nick", "Nike". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "niche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "niche" is \niʃ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "niche" come from?
"niche" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “niche”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is N-I-C-H-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \niʃ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “nie” - see the side-by-side comparison. niche vs nie
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list