commercial

/kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/

//kəˈmɜː.ʃəl// noun

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

"commercial" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commercial” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,266 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,266
frequency rank, English
10
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An advertisement in a common media format, usually radio or television.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

commercial vs commercially
83% similar

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

Key facts for commercial
PropertyValue
Headwordcommercial
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,266
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commercial” 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). commercial 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 commercial is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,266 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for commercial, with forms such as "ccommercial", "cmomercial", and "comemrcial". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "commercially", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French commercial (“of, or pertaining to commerce”), from Late Latin commercialis, from Latin commercium. By surface analysis, commerce + -ial. The correct English form is commercial, spelled C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An advertisement in a common media format, usually radio or television.
  2. 2
    A commercial trader, as opposed to an individual speculator.
  3. 3
    A commercial traveller.
  4. 4
    A male prostitute.

Etymology

From French commercial (“of, or pertaining to commerce”), from Late Latin commercialis, from Latin commercium. By surface analysis, commerce + -ial.

This word in other languages

anuncio(Español)publicité(Français)Werbung(Deutsch)anúncio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccommercial,cmomercial,comemrcial,comercial,commecrial,commercail,commerccial,commerciall,commercila,commerical,commerrcial,commrecial,ocmmercial

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of commercial - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccommercial1cmomercial2comemrcial2comercial1commecrial2commercail2commerccial1commerciall1
Edit distance from "commercial"

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 "commercial"?
"commercial" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/.
What does "commercial" mean?
As a noun, "commercial" means: An advertisement in a common media format, usually radio or television.
What words are commonly confused with "commercial"?
"commercial" is commonly confused with "commercially". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "commercial"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commercial" is /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/. 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 "commercial"?
From French commercial (“of, or pertaining to commerce”), from Late Latin commercialis, from Latin commercium. By surface analysis, commerce + -ial. 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 “commercial”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “commercially” - see the side-by-side comparison. commercial vs commercially
  • 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