commentary

Name: commentary, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/

//ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“commentary” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,203 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,203
frequency rank, English: 10
letters: 14
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A series of comments or annotations; especially, a book of explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of some other work.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

commentary vs commenter

80% similar

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

Key facts for commentary
Property	Value
Headword	commentary
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#5,203
Misspellings tracked	14
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commentary” 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). commentary lands here:

#5,203

#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 commentary is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,203 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for commentary, with forms such as "ccommentary", "cmomentary", and "comemntary". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "commenter", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French commentaire, from Latin commentārius, commentārium (“notebook”), compare French commentaire. See comment. The correct English form is commentary, spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

1
A series of comments or annotations; especially, a book of explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of some other work.
2
A brief account of transactions or events written hastily, as if for a memorandum.
3
An oral relation of an event, especially broadcast by television or radio, as it occurs.

Etymology

From Middle French commentaire, from Latin commentārius, commentārium (“notebook”), compare French commentaire. See comment.

Synonyms

scholiasecondary source

This word in other languages

comentario(Español)Kommentar(Deutsch)comentário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccommentary,cmomentary,comemntary,comentary,commenatry,commenntary,commentarry,commentaryy,commentayr,commentray,commenttary,commetnary,commnetary,ocmmentary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "commentary"

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 "commentary"?

"commentary" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/.

What does "commentary" mean?

As a noun, "commentary" means: A series of comments or annotations; especially, a book of explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of some other work.

What words are commonly confused with "commentary"?

"commentary" is commonly confused with "commenter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "commentary"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commentary" is /ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/. 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 "commentary"?

From Middle French commentaire, from Latin commentārius, commentārium (“notebook”), compare French commentaire. See comment. 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 “commentary”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “commenter” - see the side-by-side comparison. commentary vs commenter
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.