civil society
"civil-society" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“civil society” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - All of the institutions, voluntary organizations and corporate bodies that are less than the state but greater than the family.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | civil society |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “civil society” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
civil society is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for civil society in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the archaic sense of civil, “peaceful and well-ordered”. Later senses of civil society reflect 19th-century Hegelian influence, as well as the earlier argument that tyrannical governments exist in the state of nature in relation to their subjects. The correct English form is civil society, spelled C-I-V-I-L- -S-O-C-I-E-T-Y.
Definition
- 1All of the institutions, voluntary organizations and corporate bodies that are less than the state but greater than the family.
- 2Those things expected of a democratic society, such as free speech and human rights.
- 3Organized, internally peaceful human society; civilization.
Etymology
From the archaic sense of civil, “peaceful and well-ordered”. Later senses of civil society reflect 19th-century Hegelian influence, as well as the earlier argument that tyrannical governments exist in the state of nature in relation to their subjects.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “civil society”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-I-V-I-L- -S-O-C-I-E-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.