Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-nik

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.04 in modern English

Syllables: -nik
IPA

7

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

Used to form nouns denoting a person who exemplifies, endorses, or is associated with a specified thing or quality, often a particular ideology or preference.

Derogatory

Etymology

From the Slavic suffix represented by Russian -ник (-nik). This suffix experienced a surge in English coinages for nicknames and diminutives after the Soviet launch of the first Sputnik satellite in 1957. Its usage in English is heavily influenced by Yiddish usage of ־ניק (-nik) and similar borrowed words (nogoodnik, nudnik, kibbutznik).

Origin

Source language: Yiddish

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Usage

Derogatory

Inflected Forms

-niks (plural) -niki (plural) -nikim (plural)

Questions

What does -nik mean?: Used to form nouns denoting a person who exemplifies, endorses, or is associated with a specified thing or quality, often a particular ideology or preference.
Where does -nik come from?: It is traced to Yiddish.

How to pronounce -nik

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