alacrity

/əˈlækɹɨti/

//əˈlækɹɨti// noun

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

The verdict

“alacrity” is an uncommon English word, ranked #61,950 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#61,950
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.

Key facts for alacrity
PropertyValue
Headwordalacrity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈlækɹɨti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#61,950
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alacrity” 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). alacrity 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 alacrity is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈlækɹɨti/. Corpus data places it at rank #61,950 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 edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for alacrity, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Mid-15th century; from Middle English alacrite, from Latin alacritās, from alacer (“brisk”) + -itās (“-ity”). The correct English form is alacrity, spelled A-L-A-C-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.
  2. 2
    Promptness; speed.

Etymology

Mid-15th century; from Middle English alacrite, from Latin alacritās, from alacer (“brisk”) + -itās (“-ity”).

This word in other languages

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 "alacrity"?
"alacrity" is spelled A-L-A-C-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlækɹɨti/.
What does "alacrity" mean?
As a noun, "alacrity" means: Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.
How do you pronounce "alacrity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alacrity" is /əˈlækɹɨti/. 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 "alacrity"?
Mid-15th century; from Middle English alacrite, from Latin alacritās, from alacer (“brisk”) + -itās (“-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 “alacrity”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-A-C-R-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈlækɹɨti/ (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.

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

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