city

/ˈsɪt.i/

//ˈsɪt.i// noun

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

"city" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“city” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #217 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#217
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

city vs CT
0% similar
city vs cut
50% similar
city vs cry
50% similar

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

Key facts for city
PropertyValue
Headwordcity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪt.i/
Letters4
Frequency rank#217
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “city” 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). city 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 city is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪt.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #217 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for city, with forms such as "ccity", "citty", and "cityy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "cut", "cry", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English cite, derived from Old French cite, derived from Late Latin cīvitātem (“city”), in Classical Latin "citizenry", derived from cīvis (“fellow-citizen”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“lie down; settle”). Cognate with… The correct English form is city, spelled C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
  2. 2
    A settlement granted special status by royal charter or letters patent; traditionally, a settlement with a cathedral regardless of size.
  3. 3
    The central business district; downtown.
  4. 4
    A large amount of something (used after the noun).

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English cite, derived from Old French cite, derived from Late Latin cīvitātem (“city”), in Classical Latin "citizenry", derived from cīvis (“fellow-citizen”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“lie down; settle”). Cognate with Old English hīwan pl (“members of one's household, servants”). See hewe. Doublet of civitas. Mostly displaced native Old English burg, whence Modern English borough.

Synonyms

city

Antonyms

townvillage

This word in other languages

ciudad(Español)ville(Français)Stadt(Deutsch)cidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccity,citty,cityy,ciyt,ctiy,icty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccity1citty1cityy1ciyt2ctiy2icty2
Edit distance from "city"

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 "city"?
"city" is spelled C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪt.i/.
What does "city" mean?
As a noun, "city" means: A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
What words are commonly confused with "city"?
"city" is commonly confused with "CT", "cut", "cry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "city"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "city" is /ˈsɪt.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 "city"?
Inherited from Middle English cite, derived from Old French cite, derived from Late Latin cīvitātem (“city”), in Classical Latin "citizenry", derived from cīvis (“fellow-citizen”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“lie down; settle”). Co... 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 “city”

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

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