competency

/ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/

//ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si// noun

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

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

The verdict

“competency” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,317
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to perform some task; competence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-competency · competency · English

competency · rank #20,317 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,317
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concerted

Nearest frequency peer: concerted (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “competency”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “competency” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

competency vs competent
80% similar
competency vs competently
82% similar
competency vs competence
90% similar

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

Key facts for competency
PropertyValue
Headwordcompetency
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/
Letters10
Frequency rank#20,317
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “competency”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).competencylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “concerted” (#20,318), “comma” (#20,315), “Colombo” (#20,314). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “competency” is #20,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around competency (IPA /ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,317 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for competency, with forms such as "ccompetency", "cmopetency", and "comeptency". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "competent", "competently", "competence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competence. The correct English form is competency, spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability to perform some task; competence.
  2. 2
    An individual's capacity to understand the nature and implications of their legal rights and obligations.
  3. 3
    Implicit knowledge of a language’s structure.
  4. 4
    A sufficient supply of something.
  5. 5
    A sustainable income.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how competency appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The loan demonstrates, in regard to instrumental resources, the competency of this kingdom to the assertion of the common cause.
  2. What professional competencies do science teachers need?

Etymology

From Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competence.

This word in other languages

compétence(Français)competência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompetency
  • cmopetency
  • comeptency
  • commpetency
  • compeetncy
  • competecny
  • competenccy
  • competencyy
  • competenncy
  • competenyc
  • competnecy
  • compettency
  • comppetency
  • compteency
  • copmetency
  • ocmpetency

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccompetency1cmopetency2comeptency2commpetency1compeetncy2competecny2competenccy1competencyy1
Edit distance from "competency"

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 "competency"?
"competency" is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/.
What does "competency" mean?
As a noun, "competency" means: The ability to perform some task; competence.
What words are commonly confused with "competency"?
"competency" is commonly confused with "competent", "competently", "competence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "competency"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "competency" is /ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/. 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 "competency"?
From Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competence. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "competency", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

divisional#20,339astonished#20,289faithfully#20,352afternoons#20,280

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

unexplained16 variantstopography16 variantssymmetrical16 variantsstraighten16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list