apartheid

/əˈpɑːtheɪt/

//əˈpɑːtheɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“apartheid” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,725. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,725
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The policy of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.

Corpus desk

Index EN-apartheid · apartheid · English

apartheid · rank #12,725 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,725
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alloy

Nearest frequency peer: alloy (-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 “apartheid”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “apartheid” 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 apartheid
PropertyValue
Headwordapartheid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈpɑːtheɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,725
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apartheid”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).apartheidlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “alloy” (#12,724), “arises” (#12,726), “affinity” (#12,723). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apartheid” is #12,725. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around apartheid (IPA /əˈpɑːtheɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,725 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for apartheid, with forms such as "aaprtheid", "aparhteid", and "aparrtheid". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood. The correct English form is apartheid, spelled A-P-A-R-T-H-E-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The policy of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
  2. 2
    Any similar policy of racial segregation or separation and discrimination, particularly when in favor of a minority rule.
  3. 3
    A policy or situation of segregation based on some specified attribute.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She don't care about the rest at all / She's got a system they call apartheid / It keeps a brother in a subjection
  2. The premise of apartheid was that whites were superior to Africans, Coloureds and Indians, and the function of it was to entrench white supremacy forever.

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aaprtheid
  • aparhteid
  • aparrtheid
  • apartehid
  • aparthedi
  • apartheidd
  • aparthheid
  • aparthied
  • aparttheid
  • apatrheid
  • appartheid
  • apratheid
  • paartheid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apartheid - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aaprtheid2aparhteid2aparrtheid1apartehid2aparthedi2apartheidd1aparthheid1aparthied2
Edit distance from "apartheid"

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 "apartheid"?
"apartheid" is spelled A-P-A-R-T-H-E-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɑːtheɪt/.
What does "apartheid" mean?
As a noun, "apartheid" means: The policy of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
What are common misspellings of "apartheid"?
Common misspellings include "aaprtheid", "aparhteid", "aparrtheid", "apartehid", "aparthedi". The correct spelling is "apartheid".
How do you pronounce "apartheid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apartheid" is /əˈpɑːtheɪt/. 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 "apartheid"?
Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood. 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 "apartheid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

arthritis#12,727addictive#12,722Brunswick#12,735violently#12,714

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

trending13 variantsthriving13 variantsenclosure13 variantsexceeding13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list