cavity

/ˈkæv.ɪt.i/

//ˈkæv.ɪt.i// noun

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

"cavity" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cavity” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,740. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,740
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cavity · cavity · English

cavity · rank #12,740 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,740
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH casualty

Nearest frequency peer: casualty (-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 “cavity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cavity” 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).

cavity vs city
67% similar
cavity vs charity
71% similar
cavity vs clarity
71% similar

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

Key facts for cavity
PropertyValue
Headwordcavity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæv.ɪt.i/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,740
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cavity”

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).cavitylands 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 “casualty” (#12,739), “chap” (#12,741), “Carnegie” (#12,738). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cavity” is #12,740. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around cavity (IPA /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,740 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cavity, with forms such as "acvity", "caivty", and "cavitty". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "city", "charity", "clarity", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c. The correct English form is cavity, spelled C-A-V-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.
  2. 2
    A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.
  3. 3
    A small or large hole in a tooth caused by caries; often also a soft area adjacent to the hole also affected by caries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Jim got two cavities filled at the dentist's office yesterday.

Etymology

From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c.

This word in other languages

cavidad(Español)carie(Français)Hohlraum(Deutsch)cavidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acvity
  • caivty
  • cavitty
  • cavityy
  • caviyt
  • cavtiy
  • cavvity
  • ccavity
  • cvaity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cavity - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acvity2caivty2cavitty1cavityy1caviyt2cavtiy2cavvity1ccavity1
Edit distance from "cavity"

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 "cavity"?
"cavity" is spelled C-A-V-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/.
What does "cavity" mean?
As a noun, "cavity" means: A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.
What words are commonly confused with "cavity"?
"cavity" is commonly confused with "city", "charity", "clarity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cavity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cavity" is /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/. 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 "cavity"?
From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c. 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 "cavity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caller#12,737Conway#12,745beaver#12,733Barton#12,732

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

wisely9 variantsfading9 variantstermed9 variantsTehran9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list