charity

/ˈtʃæɹɪti/

//ˈtʃæɹɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“charity” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,283 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,283
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

charity vs chart
71% similar
charity vs chatty
71% similar
charity vs clarity
86% similar

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

Key facts for charity
PropertyValue
Headwordcharity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʃæɹɪti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,283
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “charity” 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). charity 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 charity is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtʃæɹɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,283 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 charity, with forms such as "cahrity", "ccharity", and "chairty". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "chart", "chatty", "clarity", 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 charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās. The correct English form is charity, spelled C-H-A-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
  2. 2
    The goods or money given to those in need.
  3. 3
    Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.
  4. 4
    In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.
  5. 5
    Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.
  6. 6
    A free throw.

Etymology

From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās.

Synonyms

charitable organization

This word in other languages

caridad(Español)charité(Français)Wohltätigkeitsorganisation(Deutsch)caridade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahrity,ccharity,chairty,charitty,charityy,chariyt,charrity,chartiy,chharity,chraity,hcarity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of charity - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cahrity2ccharity1chairty2charitty1charityy1chariyt2charrity1chartiy2
Edit distance from "charity"

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 "charity"?
"charity" is spelled C-H-A-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃæɹɪti/.
What does "charity" mean?
As a noun, "charity" means: An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
What words are commonly confused with "charity"?
"charity" is commonly confused with "chart", "chatty", "clarity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "charity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "charity" is /ˈtʃæɹɪti/. 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 "charity"?
From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās. 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 “charity”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-R-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtʃæɹɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chart” - see the side-by-side comparison. charity vs chart
  • 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