authority

/ɔːˈθɒɹəti/

//ɔːˈθɒɹəti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“authority” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,625. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,625
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.

Corpus desk

Index EN-authority · authority · English

authority · rank #1,625 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,625
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH apply

Nearest frequency peer: apply (-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 “authority”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “authority” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

authority vs authorize
78% similar
authority vs authorise
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for authority
PropertyValue
Headwordauthority
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɔːˈθɒɹəti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,625
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “authority”

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).authoritylands 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 “apply” (#1,624), “basis” (#1,626), “animal” (#1,623). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “authority” is #1,625. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around authority (IPA /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,625 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for authority, with forms such as "atuhority", "auhtority", and "authhority". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "authorize", "authorise", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-der. Proto-Italic *augeō Latin augeō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin auctor Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts … The correct English form is authority, spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.
  2. 2
    Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.
  3. 3
    A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.
  4. 4
    Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.
  5. 5
    Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.
  6. 6
    A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them.
  2. Vigilantes may have the power to nab criminals, but they lack the authority.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-der. Proto-Italic *augeō Latin augeō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin auctor Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin auctōritāsbor. Old French autoritébor. Middle English auctorite English authority From Middle English auctorite, autorite (“authority, book or quotation that settles an argument”), from Old French auctorité, from Latin stem of auctōritās (“invention, advice, opinion, influence, command”), from auctor (“master, leader, author”). For the presence of the h, compare the etymology of author.

This word in other languages

autoridad(Español)autorité(Français)Autorität(Deutsch)autoridade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atuhority
  • auhtority
  • authhority
  • authoirty
  • authoritty
  • authorityy
  • authoriyt
  • authorrity
  • authortiy
  • authroity
  • autohrity
  • autthority
  • uathority

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atuhority2auhtority2authhority1authoirty2authoritty1authorityy1authoriyt2authorrity1
Edit distance from "authority"

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 "authority"?
"authority" is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/.
What does "authority" mean?
As a noun, "authority" means: Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.
What words are commonly confused with "authority"?
"authority" is commonly confused with "authorize", "authorise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "authority"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "authority" is /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/. 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 "authority"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-der. Proto-Italic *augeō Latin augeō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin auctor Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European... 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 "authority", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

employees#1,631shouldn't#1,618happening#1,661institute#1,663

Similar misspelling depth

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

projects13 variantsobviously13 variantsmentioned13 variantscontinues13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list