civil

/ˈsɪv.əl/

//ˈsɪv.əl// adj

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

"civil" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“civil” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,245 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,245
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

civil vs coil
60% similar
civil vs COVID
0% similar
civil vs Cyril
40% similar

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

Key facts for civil
PropertyValue
Headwordcivil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɪv.əl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,245
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “civil” 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). civil 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 civil is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪv.əl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,245 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for civil, with forms such as "ccivil", "ciivl", and "civill". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "coil", "COVID", "Cyril", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cyvyl, civil, borrowed from Old French civil, from Latin cīvīlis (“relating to a citizen”), from cīvis (“citizen”). Cognate with Old English hīwen (“household”), hīrǣden (“family”). More at hind; hird. The correct English form is civil, spelled C-I-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
  2. 2
    Behaving in a reasonable or polite manner; avoiding displays of hostility.
  3. 3
    In a peaceful and well-ordered state.
  4. 4
    Relating to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters.
  5. 5
    Secular.

Etymology

From Middle English cyvyl, civil, borrowed from Old French civil, from Latin cīvīlis (“relating to a citizen”), from cīvis (“citizen”). Cognate with Old English hīwen (“household”), hīrǣden (“family”). More at hind; hird.

This word in other languages

civil(Español)civil(Français)zivil(Deutsch)civil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccivil,ciivl,civill,civli,civvil,cviil,icvil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccivil1ciivl2civill1civli2civvil1cviil2icvil2
Edit distance from "civil"

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 "civil"?
"civil" is spelled C-I-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪv.əl/.
What does "civil" mean?
As an adjective, "civil" means: Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
What words are commonly confused with "civil"?
"civil" is commonly confused with "coil", "COVID", "Cyril". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "civil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "civil" is /ˈsɪv.əl/. 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 "civil"?
From Middle English cyvyl, civil, borrowed from Old French civil, from Latin cīvīlis (“relating to a citizen”), from cīvis (“citizen”). Cognate with Old English hīwen (“household”), hīrǣden (“family”). More at hind; hird. 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 “civil”

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

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