activity

/ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/

//ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"activity" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“activity” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,444 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,444
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state or quality of being active; activeness.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

activity vs acidity
75% similar
activity vs actively
75% similar
activity vs activist
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for activity
PropertyValue
Headwordactivity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,444
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “activity” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). activity lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for activity is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,444 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for activity, with forms such as "acctivity", "acitvity", and "actiivty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "acidity", "actively", "activist", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French activité, from Latin activitas. Equivalent to active + -ity. The correct English form is activity, spelled A-C-T-I-V-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being active; activeness.
  2. 2
    Something done as an action or a movement.
  3. 3
    Something done for pleasure or entertainment, especially one involving movement or an excursion.
  4. 4
    The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that change over time and have no natural end point.
  5. 5
    The number of radioactive decays per unit time. Unit for it: becquerel or curie
  6. 6
    The property of substances to react with other substances

Etymology

From Middle French activité, from Latin activitas. Equivalent to active + -ity.

Synonyms

activitydoingsendeavorenterprisepursuancepursuitundertakingventure

Antonyms

restpassivity

This word in other languages

actividad(Español)activité(Français)Aktivität(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acctivity,acitvity,actiivty,activitty,activityy,activiyt,activtiy,activvity,acttivity,actviity,atcivity,cativity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of activity - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acctivity1acitvity2actiivty2activitty1activityy1activiyt2activtiy2activvity1
Edit distance from "activity"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "activity"?
"activity" is spelled A-C-T-I-V-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/.
What does "activity" mean?
As a noun, "activity" means: The state or quality of being active; activeness.
What words are commonly confused with "activity"?
"activity" is commonly confused with "acidity", "actively", "activist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "activity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "activity" is /ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "activity"?
From Middle French activité, from Latin activitas. Equivalent to active + -ity. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “activity”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-T-I-V-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “acidity” - see the side-by-side comparison. activity vs acidity
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list