century

/ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/

//ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“century” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,011 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,011
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A period of one hundred consecutive years; often specifically a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the twentieth century, which stretches from (strictly) 1901 through 2000...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

century vs center
71% similar
century vs centre
71% similar
century vs centers
71% similar

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

Key facts for century
PropertyValue
Headwordcentury
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,011
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “century” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for century is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,011 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for century, with forms such as "ccentury", "cenntury", and "centruy". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "center", "centre", "centers", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English centurie (“a count of one hundred (of anything); a division of the Roman army; century; a division of land”), from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from centum (“one hundred”). The most common modern use is a shortening of centu… The correct English form is century, spelled C-E-N-T-U-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A period of one hundred consecutive years; often specifically a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the twentieth century, which stretches from (strictly) 1901 through 2000, or (informally) 1900 through 1999. The first century AD was from 1 to 100.
  2. 2
    A unit in ancient Roman army, originally of one hundred army soldiers as part of a cohort, later of more varied sizes (but typically containing sixty to seventy or eighty) soldiers or other men (guards, police, firemen), commanded by a centurion.
  3. 3
    A political division of ancient Rome, meeting in the Centuriate Assembly.
  4. 4
    A hundred things of the same kind; a hundred.
  5. 5
    A hundred runs scored either by a single player in one innings, or by two players in a partnership.
  6. 6
    A score of one hundred points.
  7. 7
    A race a hundred units (as meters, kilometres, miles) in length.
  8. 8
    A banknote in the denomination of one hundred dollars.

Etymology

From Middle English centurie (“a count of one hundred (of anything); a division of the Roman army; century; a division of land”), from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from centum (“one hundred”). The most common modern use is a shortening of century of years.

This word in other languages

centuria(Español)siècle(Français)Jahrhundert(Deutsch)século(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccentury,cenntury,centruy,centtury,centurry,centuryy,centuyr,cenutry,cetnury,cnetury,ecntury

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccentury1cenntury1centruy2centtury1centurry1centuryy1centuyr2cenutry2
Edit distance from "century"

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 "century"?
"century" is spelled C-E-N-T-U-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/.
What does "century" mean?
As a noun, "century" means: A period of one hundred consecutive years; often specifically a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the twentieth century, which stretches from (strictly) 1901 through 2000...
What words are commonly confused with "century"?
"century" is commonly confused with "center", "centre", "centers". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "century"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "century" is /ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/. 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 "century"?
From Middle English centurie (“a count of one hundred (of anything); a division of the Roman army; century; a division of land”), from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from centum (“one hundred”). The most common modern use is a shortenin... 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.

Using “century”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-E-N-T-U-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “center” - see the side-by-side comparison. century vs center
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list