criticality

/ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti/

//ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti// noun

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

The verdict

“criticality” is uncommon English (frequency #60,737 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,737
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being critical.

Corpus desk

Index EN-criticality · criticality · English

criticality · rank #60,737 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,737
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crockpot

Nearest frequency peer: crockpot (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “criticality”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “criticality” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for criticality
PropertyValue
Headwordcriticality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti/
Letters11
Frequency rank#60,737
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “criticality” in English

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).criticalityfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “crockpot” (#60,738), “creasy” (#60,735), “Cruickshank” (#60,739). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “criticality” is #60,737. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

criticality is uncommon English at frequency #60,737 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

criticality doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From critical + -ity. The correct English form is criticality, spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being critical.
  2. 2
    A disposition for purposeful thinking and acting guided by criteria that are considered to be contextually appropriate and that are expected to result in positive outcomes related to the purpose.
  3. 3
    The point at which a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. They weren't aware of the criticality of the situation.

Etymology

From critical + -ity.

This word in other languages

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 "criticality"?
"criticality" is spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti/.
What does "criticality" mean?
As a noun, "criticality" means: The state of being critical.
How do you pronounce "criticality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "criticality" is /ˈkɹɪtɪˌkælɪti/. 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 "criticality"?
From critical + -ity. 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 "criticality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list