civility
ci·vil·i·ty/sɪˈvɪl.ɪ.ti/noun
civility is spelled C-I-V-I-L-I-T-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables (ci·vil·i·ty). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, civility means “Speech or behaviour that is fit for civil interactions; politeness, courtesy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of civility is civilities.
How many letters and syllables are in civility?
| Letters | 8: C-I-V-I-L-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ci·vil·i·ty |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is civility?
Civility appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce civility?
- /sɪˈvɪl.ɪ.ti/
- [sɪˈvɪl.ɪ.tʰɪi̯]
- /sɪˈvɪl.ɪ.ɾi/
Civility has 4 syllables, split ci·vil·i·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-civility.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of civility
- civilities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does civility mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Speech or behaviour that is fit for civil interactions; politeness, courtesy.
December 1749 Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, letter to his son The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be.
- 2
An individual act or expression of polite behaviour; a courtesy.
- 3
archaicThe state or fact of being civilized; civilization.
- 4
obsoleteA civil office; a civil capacity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Civility in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense politeness; behavior which conforms to social conventions:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | politesse |
| German | Anstand, Höflichkeit, Verbindlichkeit |
| Portuguese | civilidade |
| Spanish | civismo, civilidad, urbanidad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does civility come from?
Borrowed from Latin civilitas: compare French civilité. English equivalent civil + -ity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).