# competency

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒm.pə.tən.si/ · frequency rank #20,317

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

## Etymology
From Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competence.

## Easily confused with
- **competent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/competency-vs-competent)
- **competently** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/competency-vs-competently)
- **competence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/competence-vs-competency)

## Common misspellings (16)
`ccompetency`, `cmopetency`, `comeptency`, `commpetency`, `compeetncy`, `competecny`, `competenccy`, `competencyy`, `competenncy`, `competenyc`, `competnecy`, `compettency`, `comppetency`, `compteency`, `copmetency`, `ocmpetency`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/competency