Nobel is a proper noun — the surname behind the Nobel Prize — and is always capitalised. Noble is an ordinary adjective meaning honourable, high-minded or aristocratic. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics. It was a noble gesture, if a hopeless one. They are also stressed differently: no-BEL, but NOH-bul.
The core difference
Nobel is a name. It belongs to Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and inventor who directed in his will that his fortune fund a set of annual prizes. Because it is a surname, it takes a capital letter every time, and it appears in almost no context other than the prizes themselves and the institutions attached to them.
Noble is an everyday English adjective with two main senses: morally admirable (a noble aim, a noble sacrifice) and aristocratic by birth (a noble family, of noble descent). It also works as a noun for a member of the aristocracy.
The test you can run
If you are not talking about the prize, it is noble. That single rule covers virtually every sentence you will write. Nobel has no adjective sense, no general meaning and no lowercase form.
Say it aloud as a second check. Nobel is stressed on the second syllable, rhyming roughly with "hotel". Noble is stressed on the first and rhymes with "global". If your sentence sounds right with NOH-bul, spell it with the l before the e.
The two common errors
- "Noble Prize" — a very frequent slip, and one that is instantly noticed by anyone who works in science or publishing. The prize is never spelt with the ordinary adjective.
- "Nobel cause" or "a nobel effort" — the reverse mistake, usually a typo, and one a spellchecker will let through because Nobel is a real word.
Note also the letter order. Nobel has the b before the e-l; noble has the b before the l-e. Reading the ending backwards is a reliable way to catch it in proofreading.
Where noble does specialist work
Chemistry uses noble in two established terms, and both take the ordinary adjective:
- Noble gases — helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon, so called because they hardly react with anything.
- Noble metals — gold, platinum and others that resist corrosion.
The sense behind both is the older one of standing apart and remaining unsullied, which is also why an aristocrat is a noble.
How to write the prize
The standard forms are the Nobel Prize in Physics, in Chemistry, in Physiology or Medicine, in Literature, and the Nobel Peace Prize. The recipient is a Nobel laureate — laureate is lowercase, Nobel is not. "Nobel Prize winner" is fine in ordinary writing, though official sources prefer laureate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it "Nobel Prize" or "Noble Prize"?
<em>Nobel Prize</em>, always capitalised, after Alfred Nobel. <em>Noble</em> is the unrelated adjective meaning honourable or aristocratic and is never used in the prize's name.
Are they pronounced the same?
No. <em>Nobel</em> stresses the second syllable (no-BEL), while <em>noble</em> stresses the first (NOH-bul). Saying the word aloud is a quick way to check which spelling you need.
Is it "noble gases" or "nobel gases"?
<em>Noble gases</em>. The term uses the ordinary adjective, in the older sense of standing aloof — these elements barely react with anything else.