Words That Start With N: Your Scrabble Cheat Sheet

Everyone needs nifty, new vocabulary words. Whether you’re playing games (like Scrabble or Words with Friends) or writing for a newspaper, it’s naive to think you’ll never be nagged by a not knowing what to say. Want to add nuance to your narratives? Nest some neat words within your notes, novels, and novellas. N is the 14th letter of the English alphabet; nevertheless, it comes first in numerous next-level words! Naturally, if you’re looking for a nice way to show you’re a nimblewit, nothing beats naming a few words that start with the letter N. 

We’ve created this list of words for you, organized by the number of letters in each word. Many of these words have more than one meaning. For simplicity, we’ve only listed one definition for each word. Keep in mind, this word list doesn’t contain every single English word that starts with N; however, it’s a useful introduction to this very special letter.

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Here are some words that start with N [2-15 letter words]

15-Letter Words

neurotoxicology – Noun | The study of poisons that impact the nervous system and their effects

nonbiographical – Adjective | Not pertaining to the true history of a real person’s life

northwesterlies – Noun | Winds or storms from the northwest

notwithstanding – Adverb | However, nevertheless

14-Letter Words

naturalization – Noun | The process of becoming a citizen of a new country

neurobiologist – Noun | A person who studies the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system

nominalization – Noun | To convert another part of speech into a noun or noun phrase

nonjudgemental – Adjective | Avoiding authoritative opinions, especially those based on moral standards (also spelled nonjudgmental)

13-Letter Words

nannoplankton – Noun | Aquatic organisms small enough to pass through a fine mesh net

narrativizing – Verb | Communicating or interpreting events in a narrative form

neuroblastoma – Noun | A malignant tumor of the embryonic nerve cells

nowheresville – Noun | A job or position with no chance for advancement and status

12-Letter Words

neighborhood – Noun | The people who live near one another

neurotypical – Adjective | Not affected by autism or any other developmental disorder

nontechnical – Adjective | Not having or requiring specialized skills and knowledge

notification – Noun | A written notice, announcement, or warning

11-Letter Words

neckerchief – Noun | A square of cloth used as a scarf around the neck

needlecraft – Noun | Work done with a needle, especially embroidery

netherworld – Noun | The world of the dead

nonchalance – Noun | The quality or state of being unconcerned

10-Letter Words

natterjack – Noun | A common, western European toad, known for running rather than hopping

necrophobe – Noun | A person who fears dead bodies

nitpicking – Verb | Engaging in inconsequential, minute criticism

nontaxable – Adjective | Not subject to taxation

9-Letter Words

newshound – Noun | A reporter, especially one who acts aggressively 

nightlife – Noun | Activity or entertainment enjoyed at night

nimblewit – Noun | A clever person

nomocracy – Noun | Government based on the rule of law

8-Letter Words

nascency – Noun | Origin

namesake – Noun | One who has the same name as another

nasalize – Verb | To produce a sound with resonance through the nose

newscast – Noun | A radio or television news broadcast

 7-Letter Words

nabbing – Verb | Seizing suddenly

naively – Adverb | In a manner marked by artlessness

naivete – Noun | The quality or state of being unsophisticated and ingenuous (also spelled naïveté, naiveté, naïvety, or naivety)

naphtha – Noun | A petroleum distillate used a solvent or diluent

narthex – Noun | An entrance hall leading to the knave of a church

narwhal – Noun | An arctic cetacean with males that have long, spiral tusks (also spelled narwal or narwhale) 

niblick – Noun | An iron golf club that delivers significant lift and little roll (also spelled niblic)

6-Letter Words

naevus – Noun | A congenital blemish on the skin, including a mole or birthmark (also spelled nevus, plural nevi) 

napalm – Noun | A flammable jellylike substance used in incendiary bombs

napery – Noun | Table linen

nautch – Noun | An intricate, traditional Indian dance performed by professional female dancers

nettle – Noun | Plant with stinging hairs of the family Urticaceae

nuzzle – Verb | To rub against something or snuggle gently

5-Letter Words

nabob – Noun | A person of great wealth and power

nacho – Noun | Tortilla topped with melted cheese and other toppings

nacre – Noun | Mother-of-pearl, the iridescent inner layer of some shells

nadir – Noun | Lowest point, opposite the zenith in astronomy

naggy – Adjective | Prone to fault-finding, characterized by complaining

nakfa – Noun | A unit of Eritrean currency

nappe – Noun | Sheet of rock thrust from its original position along a horizontal fault plane

nappa – Noun | Sheepskin, lambskin, or kid leather

nappy – Adjective | Having a fuzzy or shaggy surface

narco –  Noun | A drug dealer (US slang)

naris – noun | One nasal passageway

natty – Adjective | Smart, tidy, and neat

navvy – Noun | An unskilled manual laborer (British English)

neigh – Verb | To whinny, as a horse does

ninja – Noun | A feudal Japanese mercenary, skilled in ninjutsu

nixie – Noun | An undeliverable piece of mail with an illegible address

nobby – Adjective | Stylish and elegant (British English)

4-Letter Words

naan – Noun | Leavened Indian bread, baked in a tandoor

nabe – Noun | A neighborhood theater

nada – Noun | Nothing 

naff – Adjective | Unfashionable, lacking taste

naif – Noun | A naive, inexperienced person (also spelled naïf) 

nala – Noun | A gulch (also spelled nala, nallah, or nullah

naoi – Noun | Ancient classical temples

nard – Noun | An ointment used by ancients, made from an aromatic Himalayan plant

nare – Noun | A single nostril (British English) 

nark – Noun | An informant for the police

neap – Adjective | Pertaining to a neap tide, which occurs at the first and the third quarters of the moon

neem – Noun | A large tree of India, Azadirachta indica,  which is used to produce pesticides and medicinal oil

neep – Noun | Turnip (Scottish English) 

nerd – Noun | A socially inept person, especially one dedicated to academic or intellectual pursuits

neve – Noun | A nephew or grandson (British English) 

neuk – Noun | A nook (Scottish English)

neum – Noun | A musical notation used prior to the 14th century (also spelled neume)

newt – Noun | A small, semiaquatic salamander

nock – Noun | The part of an arrow with a notch for the bowstring

nook – Noun | A secluded, sheltered place

nuke – Noun | A nuclear weapon

3-Letter Words

naw – Interjection | No (US slang) 

neb – Noun | The beak of a bird

neg – Noun | A photographic negative

nib – Noun | The point of a pen

nim – Verb | To steal

nip – Verb | To bite or pinch

nit – Noun | The egg of a louse

nog – Noun | A strong ale, originating in Norfolk, England

noh – Noun | A stylized, classical Japanese dance-drama (also spelled no)

nub – Noun | A lump or small piece

2-Letter Words

né – Adjective| Formerly called

no – Adverb | Not in any degree, not a bit

nu –  Noun | The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet

By looking at this list, you may be able to identify some common prefixes. Words that start with “neuro” often have something to do with nerves. Words beginning with “non” involve negation. Understanding these linguistic patterns can help you to intuit what a word means, even when you don’t have a dictionary handy.

Use words that start with the letter N to nominalize and nitpick. Notice your neighbor’s nonchalant word choices. Nobody will be able to neglect your natural knack for completing word finders, word jumbles, and crossword puzzles. From nu to neurotoxicology, this word list will nourish your nascent nerdiness. Study these words, and you’ll be nattering with new words in no time.

Click here for more Scrabble cheat sheets.

Sources: 

  1. https://word.tips/words-start-with/n/
  2. https://www.merriam-webster.com
  3. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/
  4. https://www.dictionary.com

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