anxiety

/ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/

//ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"anxiety" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anxiety” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,278. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,278
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anxiety · anxiety · English

anxiety · rank #3,278 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,278
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH angel

Nearest frequency peer: angel (-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 “anxiety”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anxiety” 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 anxiety
PropertyValue
Headwordanxiety
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,278
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anxiety”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).anxietylands 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 “angel” (#3,277), “babies” (#3,279), “alongside” (#3,276). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anxiety” is #3,278. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around anxiety (IPA /ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,278 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for anxiety, with forms such as "anixety", "annxiety", and "anxeity". 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, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst. The correct English form is anxiety, spelled A-N-X-I-E-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.
  2. 2
    An uneasy or distressing desire (for something). Endeavor (to please).
  3. 3
    A state of restlessness and agitation, often accompanied by a distressing sense of oppression or tightness in the stomach.
  4. 4
    Any anxiety disorder, especially generalized anxiety disorder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. generalized anxiety disorder
  2. feel anxiety

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst.

Synonyms

caresolicitudeforebodinguneasinessperplexitydisquietudedisquiettroubleapprehensionrestlessnessdistress

This word in other languages

zozobra(Español)anxiété(Français)Unbehagen(Deutsch)angústia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anixety
  • annxiety
  • anxeity
  • anxietty
  • anxietyy
  • anxieyt
  • anxitey
  • anxxiety
  • axniety
  • naxiety

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anxiety - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

anixety2annxiety1anxeity2anxietty1anxietyy1anxieyt2anxitey2anxxiety1
Edit distance from "anxiety"

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 "anxiety"?
"anxiety" is spelled A-N-X-I-E-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/.
What does "anxiety" mean?
As a noun, "anxiety" means: An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.
What are common misspellings of "anxiety"?
Common misspellings include "anixety", "annxiety", "anxeity", "anxietty", "anxietyy". The correct spelling is "anxiety".
How do you pronounce "anxiety"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anxiety" is /ˌæŋ(ɡ)ˈzaɪ.ɪ.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 "anxiety"?
Borrowed from Latin anxietās, from anxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst. 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 "anxiety", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

actress#3,273charity#3,283compare#3,285cooking#3,287

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

violent10 variantssoldier10 variantsrailway10 variantsformula10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list