adversity

/ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/

//ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti// noun

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

"adversity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adversity” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,532. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,532
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adversity · adversity · English

adversity · rank #17,532 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,532
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH advertiser

Nearest frequency peer: advertiser (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “adversity”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “adversity” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

adversity vs adversary
78% similar
adversity vs adversely
78% similar

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

Key facts for adversity
PropertyValue
Headwordadversity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,532
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adversity”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “advertiser” (#17,533), “acronym” (#17,530), “affidavit” (#17,534). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adversity” is #17,532. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around adversity (IPA /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,532 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for adversity, with forms such as "addversity", "adevrsity", and "adveristy". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "adversary", "adversely", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French adversité, from Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (“I turn toward”). The correct English form is adversity, spelled A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
  2. 2
    An event that is adverse; calamity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how adversity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The doctor loved the squire, loved him as his oldest friend; but he loved him ten times better as being in adversity than he could ever have done had things gone well at Greshansbury in his time.
  2. God approves all adversity. Not all adversity that the Christian encounters is due to sins in the Christian's life. Not all adversity is the fault of the Christian.

Etymology

From Old French adversité, from Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (“I turn toward”).

This word in other languages

adversidad(Español)malheur(Français)Widrigkeit(Deutsch)adversidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addversity
  • adevrsity
  • adveristy
  • adverrsity
  • adversitty
  • adversityy
  • adversiyt
  • adverssity
  • adverstiy
  • advesrity
  • advresity
  • advversity
  • avdersity
  • daversity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adversity - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

addversity1adevrsity2adveristy2adverrsity1adversitty1adversityy1adversiyt2adverssity1
Edit distance from "adversity"

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 "adversity"?
"adversity" is spelled A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/.
What does "adversity" mean?
As a noun, "adversity" means: The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
What words are commonly confused with "adversity"?
"adversity" is commonly confused with "adversary", "adversely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adversity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adversity" is /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.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 "adversity"?
From Old French adversité, from Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (“I turn toward”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "adversity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

affidavit#17,534astrology#17,543authorize#17,545bodyguard#17,558

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

spherical14 variantscompressor14 variantssemantics14 variantsdivergent14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list