calamity

/kəˈlæmɪti/

//kəˈlæmɪti// noun

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

"calamity" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“calamity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,738. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,738
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An event resulting in great loss.

Corpus desk

Index EN-calamity · calamity · English

calamity · rank #21,738 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,738
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH brodie

Nearest frequency peer: brodie (-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 “calamity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “calamity” 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).

calamity vs clarity
75% similar
calamity vs capacity
75% similar

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

Key facts for calamity
PropertyValue
Headwordcalamity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈlæmɪti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,738
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “calamity”

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).calamitylands 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 “brodie” (#21,737), “carbonate” (#21,739), “breathed” (#21,736). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “calamity” is #21,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around calamity (IPA /kəˈlæmɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,738 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for calamity, with forms such as "aclamity", "caalmity", and "calaimty". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "clarity", "capacity", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”). The correct English form is calamity, spelled C-A-L-A-M-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An event resulting in great loss.
  2. 2
    The distress that results from some disaster.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Romeo come forth / Come forth thou fearfull man, / Affliction is enamor’d of thy parts: / And thou art wedded to calamitie.
  2. Yet, at that moment, she felt as if the acquisition of these gems were a calamity. Their possession involved separation from her uncle, from every relic of home affections, and from all that yet lingered with her of her childhood.

Etymology

From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”).

This word in other languages

calamidad(Español)calamité(Français)Unheil(Deutsch)calamidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aclamity
  • caalmity
  • calaimty
  • calamitty
  • calamityy
  • calamiyt
  • calammity
  • calamtiy
  • callamity
  • calmaity
  • ccalamity
  • claamity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aclamity2caalmity2calaimty2calamitty1calamityy1calamiyt2calammity1calamtiy2
Edit distance from "calamity"

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 "calamity"?
"calamity" is spelled C-A-L-A-M-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈlæmɪti/.
What does "calamity" mean?
As a noun, "calamity" means: An event resulting in great loss.
What words are commonly confused with "calamity"?
"calamity" is commonly confused with "clarity", "capacity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "calamity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "calamity" is /kəˈlæmɪti/. 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 "calamity"?
From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”). 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 "calamity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

breathed#21,736Bellevue#21,731beheaded#21,730auspices#21,727

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

competes12 variantscrunchy12 variantsdespised12 variantsdialogues12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list