arithmetic
/əˈɹɪθmətɪk/
"arithmetic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“arithmetic” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,075 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #17,075
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The mathematics of numbers (integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers) under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | arithmetic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈɹɪθmətɪk/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #17,075 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “arithmetic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for arithmetic is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈɹɪθmətɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,075 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 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for arithmetic, with forms such as "airthmetic", "arihtmetic", and "arithemtic". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂reh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *h₂rey-der. Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρῐθμός (ărĭthmós) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-… The correct English form is arithmetic, spelled A-R-I-T-H-M-E-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1The mathematics of numbers (integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers) under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- 2Number theory
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂reh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *h₂rey-der. Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρῐθμός (ărĭthmós) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek ἀριθμέω (arithméō) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σις (-sis) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Proto-Indo-European *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τικός (-tikós) Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκός (arithmētĭkós) Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκή (arithmētĭkḗ)bor. Latin arithmēticabor. ▲ Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκός (arithmētĭkós)bor. Latin arithmēticusbor. Old French arismetiquebor. Middle English arsmetike English arithmetic From Middle English arsmetike, from Old French arismetique, from Latin arithmētica, from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητική (τέχνη) (arithmētikḗ (tékhnē), “(art of) counting”), feminine of ἀριθμητικός (arithmētikós, “arithmetical”), from ἀριθμός (arithmós, “number, counting”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s, form of *h₂rey- (“to count, reason”). Used in English since 13th century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: airthmetic,arihtmetic,arithemtic,arithhmetic,arithmeitc,arithmetci,arithmeticc,arithmettic,arithmmetic,arithmteic,aritmhetic,aritthmetic,arrithmetic,artihmetic,raithmetic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of arithmetic - 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
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Using “arithmetic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-R-I-T-H-M-E-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈɹɪθmətɪk/ (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.