Which to use
“levity” is a noun and “levy” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,158
- “levity” frequency rank
- #8,954
- “levy” frequency rank
- 56112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | levity | levy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A lightness of manner or speech, frivolity; flippancy; a lack of appropriate seriousness; an inclination to make a joke of serious matters. | To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property. |
Where the eye mixes levity and levy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between levity and levy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: levity is /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/ while levy is /ˈlɛ.vi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
levity is recorded at frequency rank #47,158, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/. levy is at rank #8,954, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈlɛ.vi/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 56112, this pair ranks #128,637 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of levity vs levy
Shared letters: elvy. Private to "levity": it. Private to "levy": -.
"levity" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "levy" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "levity" for "levy" ever safe?
Which is more common, "levity" or "levy"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "levity" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "levy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #128,637 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "levity" and "levy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Levis vs levity". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #128,637 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.