adversity
/ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/
"adversity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“adversity” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,532 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #17,532
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | adversity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #17,532 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “adversity” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for adversity is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,532 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
- 2An event that is adverse; calamity.
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
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.
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"?
What does "adversity" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "adversity"?
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What is the origin of the word "adversity"?
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Using “adversity”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “adversary” - see the side-by-side comparison. adversity vs adversary
- 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.