calumny

/ˈkæləmni/

//ˈkæləmni// noun

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

"calumny" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“calumny” is uncommon English (frequency #97,906 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,906
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-calumny · calumny · English

calumny · rank #97,906 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,906
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cammie

Nearest frequency peer: Cammie (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “calumny”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “calumny” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for calumny
PropertyValue
Headwordcalumny
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæləmni/
Letters7
Frequency rank#97,906
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “calumny” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).calumnyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Cammie” (#97,907), “carny” (#97,909), “Byford” (#97,902). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “calumny” is #97,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

calumny is uncommon English at frequency #97,906 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæləmni/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for calumny, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, misrepresent… The correct English form is calumny, spelled C-A-L-U-M-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
  2. 2
    Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He [Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk] mentioned to her [Elizabeth I of England] the rumour, which was ſpread of his marriage with the Scotch Queen [Mary, Queen of Scots]; he complained of it as a groundleſs calumny; and diſclaimed all thoughts of that kind, with many expreſſions full of contempt, both for Mary's character, and dominions.
  2. To publish all malicious calumnies against an individual with an intent to defame him, is a wrong on the part of the calumniator, and an injury to the individual, for which the law affords redress. To write or print these calumnies is such an aggravation of the crime, as to constitute an offense against the government, and the author of the libel is subje…

Etymology

From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, misrepresentation; false accusation, malicious charge”), perhaps also related to calvor (“to deceive”). The English word is a doublet of challenge. The verb is derived from French calomnier (“to slander”), from Late Latin calumniāre, from Latin calumpniārī, calumniārī (“to blame unjustly, misrepresent, calumniate; (law) to accuse falsely, bring false information against”), from calumnia (see above) + -or.

This word in other languages

calumnia(Español)calomnie(Français)Verleumdung(Deutsch)calúnia(Português)

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 "calumny"?
"calumny" is spelled C-A-L-U-M-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæləmni/.
What does "calumny" mean?
As a noun, "calumny" means: A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
How do you pronounce "calumny"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "calumny" is /ˈkæləmni/. 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 "calumny"?
From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, mi... 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 "calumny", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bustard#97,899busload#97,897choroid#97,939bobtail#97,864

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list