capacity
ca·pa·ci·ty/kəˈpæsɪti/noun, adjective
capacity is spelled C-A-P-A-C-I-T-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables (ca·pa·ci·ty). It appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “capacity vs compacity” about 10 times a month (Bing, United States). As a noun, capacity means “The ability to hold, receive, or absorb” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of capacity is capacities.
How many letters and syllables are in capacity?
| Letters | 8: C-A-P-A-C-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ca·pa·ci·ty |
| In writing | 51 times per million words; the 1,993rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is capacity?
Capacity appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce capacity?
- UK /kəˈpæsɪti/
- British /kəˈpasɪtɪj/
- /kəˈpasɪte/
Capacity has 4 syllables, split ca·pa·ci·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-capacity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with capacity
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of capacity
- capacities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does capacity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The ability to hold, receive, or absorb.
- 2
A measure of such ability; volume.
- 3
The maximum amount that can be held.
It was hauling a capacity load.
- 4
Capability; the ability to perform some task.
- 5
The maximum that can be produced.
- 6
The maximum that can be produced on a machine or in a facility or group.
Its capacity rating was 150 tons per hour, but its actual maximum capacity was 200 tons per hour.
- 7
The potential for growth and development.
- 8
Mental ability; the power to learn.
adjective
- 1
Filling the allotted space.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Capacity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | capacité , qualité |
| German | Fähigkeit , Befugnis , Kapazität |
| Portuguese | capacidade |
| Spanish | capacidad , cabida, cabimiento, cupo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.