emergency

/ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.si/

//ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.si// noun

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

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

The verdict

“emergency” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,935. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,935
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A situation which poses an immediate risk and which requires urgent attention.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emergency · emergency · English

emergency · rank #1,935 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,935
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH electric

Nearest frequency peer: electric (-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 “emergency”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “emergency” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

emergency vs emergent
78% similar
emergency vs emergence
89% similar

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

Key facts for emergency
PropertyValue
Headwordemergency
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.si/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,935
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “emergency”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).emergencylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “electric” (#1,934), “entered” (#1,936), “decisions” (#1,933). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emergency” is #1,935. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around emergency (IPA /ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,935 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for emergency, with forms such as "eemrgency", "emegrency", and "emeregncy". 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, "emergent", "emergence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin emergentia, from Latin emergens, present participle of emergo (“to emerge, arise, come forth”), equivalent to emergent + -cy or emerge + -ency. Doublet of emergence. The correct English form is emergency, spelled E-M-E-R-G-E-N-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A situation which poses an immediate risk and which requires urgent attention.
  2. 2
    The department of a hospital that treats emergencies.
  3. 3
    A person brought in at short notice to replace a member of staff, a player in a sporting team, etc.
  4. 4
    The quality of being emergent; sudden or unexpected appearance; an unforeseen occurrence.
  5. 5
    A critical urge to urinate or defecate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cardiac arrest is an emergency requiring medical attention.
  2. We also found that the only emergency egress from the tram was by smashing the front or rear windscreens, and that emergency lighting had failed when the tram overturned.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin emergentia, from Latin emergens, present participle of emergo (“to emerge, arise, come forth”), equivalent to emergent + -cy or emerge + -ency. Doublet of emergence.

Synonyms

ERcasualtyemerg

This word in other languages

emergencia(Español)urgence(Français)Notfall(Deutsch)emergência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eemrgency
  • emegrency
  • emeregncy
  • emergecny
  • emergenccy
  • emergencyy
  • emergenncy
  • emergenyc
  • emerggency
  • emergnecy
  • emerrgency
  • emmergency
  • emregency
  • meergency

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eemrgency2emegrency2emeregncy2emergecny2emergenccy1emergencyy1emergenncy1emergenyc2
Edit distance from "emergency"

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 "emergency"?
"emergency" is spelled E-M-E-R-G-E-N-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.si/.
What does "emergency" mean?
As a noun, "emergency" means: A situation which poses an immediate risk and which requires urgent attention.
What words are commonly confused with "emergency"?
"emergency" is commonly confused with "emergent", "emergence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emergency"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emergency" is /ɪˈmɜː(ɹ).dʒən.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 "emergency"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin emergentia, from Latin emergens, present participle of emergo (“to emerge, arise, come forth”), equivalent to emergent + -cy or emerge + -ency. Doublet of emergence. 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 "emergency", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

decisions#1,933assistant#1,928afternoon#1,927providing#1,962

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

communities14 variantsdiscussion14 variantsreference14 variantsfantastic14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list