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.
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Kari Lisa Johnson
I’m an award-winning playwright with a penchant for wordplay. After earning a perfect score on the Writing SAT, I worked my way through Brown University by moonlighting as a Kaplan Test Prep tutor. I received a BA with honors in Literary Arts (Playwriting)—which gave me the opportunity to study under Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel. In my previous roles as new media producer with Rosetta Stone, director of marketing for global ventures with The Juilliard School, and vice president of digital strategy with Up & Coming Media, I helped develop the voice for international brands. From my home office in Maui, Hawaii, I currently work on freelance and ghostwriting projects.