Nucular or nuclear?
Did you mean nuclear? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
nucular
Correct
nuclear
Correct spelling: nuclear. Misspelling: nucular.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Built on nucleus: NUC-LE-ar. The L comes straight after the C.
Why people write “nucular”
“nucular” differs from “nuclear” in 2 places: it uses U in place of L; and it uses L in place of E.
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make nuclear automatic.
Other misspellings of “nuclear”
People also write “nuculear”. Here is where each one goes wrong.
“nuculear”
Correct spelling: nuclear. Misspelling: nuculear.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
The misspelling “nuculear” is only one letter off: it adds an extra vowel, U.
What does “nuclear” mean?
nuclear adjective
- (weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy
“nuclear war”
Synonyms:atomic
- of or relating to or constituting the nucleus of an atom
“nuclear physics”
- of or relating to or constituting the nucleus of a cell
“nuclear membrane”
- constituting or like a nucleus
“annexation of the suburban fringe by the nuclear metropolis”
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Nuclear” in a sentence
- The country has two nuclear power stations.
- Nuclear war.
- Nuclear physics.
- Nuclear membrane.
Is “nuclear” a playable word?
9 points in Scrabble · 13 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“nucular” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from NUCLEAR.