capacity

/kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti/

//kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti// noun

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

The verdict

“capacity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,988. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,988
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to hold, receive, or absorb.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capacity · capacity · English

capacity · rank #1,988 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,988
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bringing

Nearest frequency peer: bringing (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “capacity”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “capacity” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

capacity vs calamity
75% similar
capacity vs capacitor
78% similar

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

Key facts for capacity
PropertyValue
Headwordcapacity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,988
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “capacity” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).capacitylands 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 “bringing” (#1,987), “cheap” (#1,989), “boat” (#1,986). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around capacity (IPA /kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,988 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for capacity, with forms such as "acpacity", "caapcity", and "capaccity". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "calamity", "capacitor", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English capacite, from Old French capacite, from Latin capācitās, from capāx (“able to hold much”), from capiō (“to hold, to contain, to take, to understand”). The correct English form is capacity, spelled C-A-P-A-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability to hold, receive, or absorb.
  2. 2
    A measure of such ability; volume.
  3. 3
    A measure of such ability; volume.
  4. 4
    Capability; the ability to perform some task.
  5. 5
    The maximum that can be produced.
  6. 6
    The maximum that can be produced.
  7. 7
    The potential for growth and development.
  8. 8
    The potential for growth and development.
  9. 9
    A role; the position in which one functions.
  10. 10
    A role; the position in which one functions.
  11. 11
    Electrical capacitance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was hauling a capacity load.
  2. The orchestra played to a capacity crowd.

Etymology

From Middle English capacite, from Old French capacite, from Latin capācitās, from capāx (“able to hold much”), from capiō (“to hold, to contain, to take, to understand”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acpacity
  • caapcity
  • capaccity
  • capacitty
  • capacityy
  • capaciyt
  • capactiy
  • capaicty
  • capcaity
  • cappacity
  • ccapacity
  • cpaacity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acpacity2caapcity2capaccity1capacitty1capacityy1capaciyt2capactiy2capaicty2
Edit distance from "capacity"

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 "capacity"?
"capacity" is spelled C-A-P-A-C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti/.
What does "capacity" mean?
As a noun, "capacity" means: The ability to hold, receive, or absorb.
What words are commonly confused with "capacity"?
"capacity" is commonly confused with "calamity", "capacitor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "capacity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capacity" is /kəˈpæ.sɪ.ti/. 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 "capacity"?
From Middle English capacite, from Old French capacite, from Latin capācitās, from capāx (“able to hold much”), from capiō (“to hold, to contain, to take, to understand”). 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 "capacity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

What to do next

You've looked up "capacity". Here's where to go from here.

  • "capacity" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "calamity". View pair
  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,988 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list