corrupt

/kəˈɹʌpt/

//kəˈɹʌpt// adj

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

"corrupt" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“corrupt” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,669. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,669
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-corrupt · corrupt · English

corrupt · rank #5,669 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,669
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conviction

Nearest frequency peer: conviction (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “corrupt”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “corrupt” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

corrupt vs corrupted
78% similar
corrupt vs correct
71% similar

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

Key facts for corrupt
PropertyValue
Headwordcorrupt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kəˈɹʌpt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,669
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “corrupt” 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).corruptlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “conviction” (#5,668), “cow” (#5,670), “contacts” (#5,667). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around corrupt (IPA /kəˈɹʌpt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,669 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for corrupt, with forms such as "ccorrupt", "corrput", and "corruppt". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "corrupted", "correct", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō (“to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil, corrupt, bribe”), from com- (“together”) + rumpō (“to break in pieces”). The correct English form is corrupt, spelled C-O-R-R-U-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes.
  2. 2
    In a depraved state; debased; perverted; morally degenerate; weak in morals.
  3. 3
    Abounding in errors; not genuine or correct; in an invalid state.
  4. 4
    In a putrid state; spoiled; tainted; vitiated; unsound.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The government here is corrupt, so we'll emigrate to escape them.
  2. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Etymology

From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō (“to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil, corrupt, bribe”), from com- (“together”) + rumpō (“to break in pieces”).

Synonyms

corrupted

This word in other languages

corrupto(Español)corrompu(Français)korrupt(Deutsch)corrupto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccorrupt
  • corrput
  • corruppt
  • corruptt
  • corrutp
  • corupt
  • corurpt
  • crorupt
  • ocrrupt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccorrupt1corrput2corruppt1corruptt1corrutp2corupt1corurpt2crorupt2
Edit distance from "corrupt"

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 "corrupt"?
"corrupt" is spelled C-O-R-R-U-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈɹʌpt/.
What does "corrupt" mean?
As an adjective, "corrupt" means: Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes.
What words are commonly confused with "corrupt"?
"corrupt" is commonly confused with "corrupted", "correct". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "corrupt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corrupt" is /kəˈɹʌpt/. 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 "corrupt"?
From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō (“to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil, corrupt, bribe”), from com- (“together”) + rumpō (“to break in pieces”). 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 "corrupt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

commons#5,665buffalo#5,663binding#5,661fifteen#5,681

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

dining9 variantswrapped9 variantsurgent9 variantsinstall9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "corrupt". Here's where to go from here.

  • "corrupt" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "corrupted". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,669 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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