Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nuisance

/ˈnuː.səns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.50 in modern English

Syllables
nui-sance
IPA
/ˈnuː.səns/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A minor annoyance or inconvenience.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A person or thing causing annoyance or inconvenience.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Anything harmful or offensive to the community or to a member of it, for which a legal remedy exists.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English noysaunce, from Anglo-Norman nusaunce, nussance and Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”), from Latin nocēre. Doublet of nocence and nocency.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *neḱ-, noysaunce, nusaunce, nuisance, noceō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnuː.səns/
  • British English: /ˈnjuː.səns/

Usage

Inflected Forms

nuisances (plural)

Derived Forms

antinuisance nuisanceless nuisancer

Phrases

attractive nuisance make a nuisance of oneself nuisance call nuisance caller nuisance candidate nuisance fee nuisance ground nuisance parameter

Frequently Paired Words

bugbear headache irritant mischief nag pain pain in the butt pain in the neck

Synonyms

annoyance inconvenience offense bother obstacle pest faff grievance hassle irritation nuisance palaver

Homonyms

noosance

Antonyms

enjoyment

Questions

How do you pronounce nuisance?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnuː.səns/.
What does nuisance mean?
A minor annoyance or inconvenience.
Where does nuisance come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nuisance

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nuisance”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnuː.səns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nuisance”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “nuisance” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.