controversy

/kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si/

//kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si// noun

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

"controversy" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“controversy” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,591. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,591
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A debate or discussion of opposing opinions; (generally) strife.

Corpus desk

Index EN-controversy · controversy · English

controversy · rank #4,591 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,591
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conspiracy

Nearest frequency peer: conspiracy (-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 “controversy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “controversy” 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
Key facts for controversy
PropertyValue
Headwordcontroversy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si/
Letters11
Frequency rank#4,591
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “controversy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).controversylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “conspiracy” (#4,590), “convince” (#4,592), “Cooper” (#4,593). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “controversy” is #4,591. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around controversy (IPA /kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,591 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A debate or discussion of opposing opinions; (generally) strife.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for controversy, with forms such as "ccontroversy", "cnotroversy", and "conntroversy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrā Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-Europe… The correct English form is controversy, spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-V-E-R-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A debate or discussion of opposing opinions; (generally) strife.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [A]nd it is without all controuerſie, that learning doth make the minds of men gentle, generous, maniable, and pliant to gouernment; whereas Ignorance makes them churliſh, thwart, and mutinous; […]
  2. From time to time I have been permitted to behold the working, in different ages, of the great controversy between Christ, the Prince of life, the Author of our salvation, and Satan, the prince of evil, the author of sin, the first transgressor of God's holy law.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrā Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *wr̥ttós Proto-Italic *worssosder. Latin vorsusder. Latin versus Latin contrōversus Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin contrōversia Old French controversiebor. Middle English controversie English controversy From Middle English controversie, from Old French controversie, from Latin contrōversia (“debate, contention, controversy”), from contrōversus (“turned in an opposite direction”).

This word in other languages

controversia(Español)controverse(Français)Kontroverse(Deutsch)controvérsia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontroversy
  • cnotroversy
  • conntroversy
  • conrtoversy
  • contorversy
  • controevrsy
  • controverrsy
  • controverssy
  • controversyy
  • controverys
  • controvesry
  • controvresy
  • controvversy
  • contrroversy
  • contrvoersy
  • conttroversy
  • cotnroversy
  • ocntroversy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontroversy1cnotroversy2conntroversy1conrtoversy2contorversy2controevrsy2controverrsy1controverssy1
Edit distance from "controversy"

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 "controversy"?
"controversy" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-V-E-R-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si/.
What does "controversy" mean?
As a noun, "controversy" means: A debate or discussion of opposing opinions; (generally) strife.
What are common misspellings of "controversy"?
Common misspellings include "ccontroversy", "cnotroversy", "conntroversy", "conrtoversy", "contorversy". The correct spelling is "controversy".
How do you pronounce "controversy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "controversy" is /kənˈtɹɒv.ə.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 "controversy"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrā Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-I... 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 "controversy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disappeared#4,594examination#4,599acquisition#4,569requirement#4,628

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

investments18 variantsconventional18 variantsNetherlands18 variantsexperimental18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list