duplicity

/duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti/

//duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti// noun

"duplicity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“duplicity” is uncommon English (frequency #52,285 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,285
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-duplicity · duplicity · English

duplicity · rank #52,285 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,285
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH duce

Nearest frequency peer: duce (-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 “duplicity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for duplicity
PropertyValue
Headwordduplicity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#52,285
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “duplicity” 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).duplicityfalls 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: “duce” (#52,284), “Dyck” (#52,286), “droop” (#52,283). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “duplicity” is #52,285. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

duplicity is uncommon English at frequency #52,285 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for duplicity in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin duplicare (double). Equivalent to duplex + -ity. The correct English form is duplicity, spelled D-U-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing.
  2. 2
    The quality of being double or twofold.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For instance the rod-cone 'duplicity' of retinal function was first enunciated by the German microscopist Max Schultze in 1866 […]

Etymology

From Latin duplicare (double). Equivalent to duplex + -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 "duplicity"?
"duplicity" is spelled D-U-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti/.
What does "duplicity" mean?
As a noun, "duplicity" means: Intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing.
How do you pronounce "duplicity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duplicity" is /duˈplɪ.sɪ.ti/. 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 "duplicity"?
From Latin duplicare (double). Equivalent to duplex + -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 "duplicity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list