altruism

/ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/

//ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“altruism” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,056. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,056
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-altruism · altruism · English

altruism · rank #31,056 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,056
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Almeida

Nearest frequency peer: Almeida (-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 “altruism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “altruism” 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
Key facts for altruism
PropertyValue
Headwordaltruism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#31,056
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “altruism”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).altruismlands 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 “Almeida” (#31,055), “ambience” (#31,057), “allusion” (#31,054). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “altruism” is #31,056. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around altruism (IPA /ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,056 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for altruism, with forms such as "alltruism", "alrtuism", and "altriusm". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French altruisme, which was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui (“of or to others”) + -isme, from Old French, from Latin alteri, dative of alter (“other”) (whence also English alter). Apparently inspired by the French Latin legal phrase l'autru… The correct English form is altruism, spelled A-L-T-R-U-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness.
  2. 2
    Action or behaviour that benefits another or others at some cost to the performer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
  2. Altruism allows doing for others as one would be done by. Unlike reaction formation, which also gives to the object what the self desires, altruism leaves the self at least partly gratified. Unlike reaction formation, altruism tempers asceticism with pleasure. Unlike passive aggression and martyrdom, altruism allows the object to feel blessed and not affl…

Etymology

From French altruisme, which was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui (“of or to others”) + -isme, from Old French, from Latin alteri, dative of alter (“other”) (whence also English alter). Apparently inspired by the French Latin legal phrase l'autrui, from le bien, le droit d'autrui (“the good, the right of the other”). Introduced into English by George Henry Lewes in 1853, in his translation Comte’s Philosophy of the Sciences, 1, xxi.

This word in other languages

altruismo(Español)altruisme(Français)Altruismus(Deutsch)altruísmo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alltruism
  • alrtuism
  • altriusm
  • altrruism
  • altruims
  • altruismm
  • altruissm
  • altrusim
  • alttruism
  • alturism
  • atlruism
  • latruism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of altruism - 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.

alltruism1alrtuism2altriusm2altrruism1altruims2altruismm1altruissm1altrusim2
Edit distance from "altruism"

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 "altruism"?
"altruism" is spelled A-L-T-R-U-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/.
What does "altruism" mean?
As a noun, "altruism" means: Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness.
What are common misspellings of "altruism"?
Common misspellings include "alltruism", "alrtuism", "altriusm", "altrruism", "altruims". The correct spelling is "altruism".
How do you pronounce "altruism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "altruism" is /ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/. 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 "altruism"?
From French altruisme, which was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui (“of or to others”) + -isme, from Old French, from Latin alteri, dative of alter (“other”) (whence also English alter). Apparently inspired by the French Latin legal phra... 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 "altruism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ambience#31,057allusion#31,054Albright#31,052Adrienne#31,047

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

anomalous12 variantsYarmouth12 variantsunproven12 variantsuninstall12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list