autarky
/ˈɔːtəki/
"autarky" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“autarky” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A personal condition or state of self-reliance; independence.
Corpus desk
Index EN-autarky · autarky · English
autarky · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | autarky |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɔːtəki/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “autarky” in English
Rare enough to double-check
autarky is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɔːtəki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
autarky has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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: Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (autắrkeiă, “independence, self-sufficiency, autarky; satisfaction with one’s resources, contentment”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (Autắrkeiă) is der… The correct English form is autarky, spelled A-U-T-A-R-K-Y.
Definition
- 1A personal condition or state of self-reliance; independence.
- 2(A policy of) national economic self-sufficiency, aimed at ending reliance on foreign imports to sustain a domestic economy.
- 3A self-sufficient country or region which is not dependent on international trade to function economically.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how autarky appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Autarchie, or contentednes, vvhich is a vertue vvhereby vve are contented vvith thoſe things vvhich vve preſently enioy, & haue iuſtly gotten, & meekly ſuffer poverty & other diſcommodities, neither are broken through vvant or penury, nor gape after other mens goods or ſubſtance, nor covet things needleſſe and vnneceſſary.
Let vs rather turne our eyes, to behold and vvonder at the Diuine royalties and endovvments of it, it being in man the principall part of GODS Image, and that by vvhich Man reſembleth moſt the Autarchie and ſelf-ſufficiencie of GOD, vvhich I graunt is proper to his Infiniteneſſe, to be content and compleat vvithin it ſelfe: […]
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (autắrkeiă, “independence, self-sufficiency, autarky; satisfaction with one’s resources, contentment”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (Autắrkeiă) is derived from αὐτάρκης (autárkēs, “self-sufficient; content with what one has”) + -ειᾰ (-eiă, suffix forming feminine nouns); while αὐτάρκης (autárkēs) is from αὐτο- (auto-, prefix meaning ‘self’) + ᾰ̓ρκέω (ărkéō, “to be enough for, satisfy, suffice; (passive) to be satisfied with”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- (“to guard, protect; to hold; to lock”)) + -ης (-ēs, suffix forming third-declension adjectives).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.