adultery

Name: adultery, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/əˈdʌltəɹi/

//əˈdʌltəɹi// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“adultery” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,838 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,838
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry

Key facts for adultery
Property	Value
Headword	adultery
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/əˈdʌltəɹi/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#16,838
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “adultery” 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). adultery lands here:

#16,838

#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 adultery is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈdʌltəɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,838 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 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 adultery, with forms such as "addultery", "adlutery", and "aduletry". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French forms avo… The correct English form is adultery, spelled A-D-U-L-T-E-R-Y.

Definition

1
Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry
2
Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh commandment; sinful sexual behavior as a category.
3
Faithlessness in religion.
4
The fine and penalty formerly imposed for the offence of adultery.
5
The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop.
6
Adulteration; corruption.
7
Injury; degradation; ruin.

Etymology

With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French forms avouterie or aoulterie, while keeping its suffix. Compare French adultère (“adultery”). Displaced Old English ǣwbryċe. Not related to adult.

Synonyms

advowtry

This word in other languages

adulterio(Español)adultère(Français)Ehebruch(Deutsch)adultério(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: addultery,adlutery,aduletry,adulltery,adulterry,adulteryy,adulteyr,adultrey,adulttery,adutlery,audltery,daultery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adultery - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "adultery"

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 "adultery"?

"adultery" is spelled A-D-U-L-T-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈdʌltəɹi/.

What does "adultery" mean?

As a noun, "adultery" means: Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry

What are common misspellings of "adultery"?

Common misspellings include "addultery", "adlutery", "aduletry", "adulltery", "adulterry". The correct spelling is "adultery".

How do you pronounce "adultery"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adultery" is /əˈdʌltəɹi/. 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 "adultery"?

With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French... 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 “adultery”

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

The one correct English spelling is A-D-U-L-T-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /əˈdʌltəɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.