adversity
ad·ver·si·ty/ædˈvɝ.sɪ.ti/noun
adversity is spelled A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (ad·ver·si·ty). It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, adversity means “The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of adversity is adversities.
How many letters and syllables are in adversity?
| Letters | 9: A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ad·ver·si·ty |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is adversity?
Adversity appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce adversity?
- UK /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/
- US /ædˈvɝ.sɪ.ti/
- US [ædˈvɝ.sɪ.ɾi]
Adversity has 4 syllables, split ad·ver·si·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-adversity.ogg, En-au-adversity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of adversity
- adversities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adversity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
- 2
An event that is adverse; calamity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adversity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | malheur, adversité |
| German | Widrigkeit, Ungemach , widriges Ereignis, widriger Vorfall |
| Portuguese | adversidade , infortúnio |
| Spanish | adversidad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does adversity come from?
From Old French adversité, from Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (“to turn toward”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).