Business Acquisitions (Summary of Preliminary Allocation of Purchase Consideration) (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Oct. 31, 2012 J.A. Thomas and Associates [Member]	May 31, 2013 TGT [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price, Total		$ 83.3
Contingent consideration payments	$ 25.0

The cost of the acquired entity including the cash paid to shareholders of acquired entities, fair value of debt and equity securities issued to shareholders of acquired entities, the fair value of the liabilities assumed, and direct costs of the acquisition

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	nuan_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant