empathetic

/ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/

//ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk// adj

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

"empathetic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“empathetic” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,155. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,155
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Showing empathy for others, and recognizing their feelings; empathic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-empathetic · empathetic · English

empathetic · rank #31,155 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #31,155
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH embed

Nearest frequency peer: embed (-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 “empathetic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “empathetic” 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).

empathetic vs empathic
80% similar

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

Key facts for empathetic
PropertyValue
Headwordempathetic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,155
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “empathetic”

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).empatheticlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “embed” (#31,154), “emulator” (#31,156), “electrostatic” (#31,153). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “empathetic” is #31,155. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around empathetic (IPA /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,155 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Showing empathy for others, and recognizing their feelings; empathic.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for empathetic, with forms such as "emapthetic", "emmpathetic", and "empahtetic". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "empathic", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from empathic, modified to sound more similar to sympathetic. The correct English form is empathetic, spelled E-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Showing empathy for others, and recognizing their feelings; empathic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And where does kindness come from? Are you born with it? Or can you learn to be compassionate and empathetic?

Etymology

Derived from empathic, modified to sound more similar to sympathetic.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emapthetic
  • emmpathetic
  • empahtetic
  • empatehtic
  • empatheitc
  • empathetci
  • empatheticc
  • empathettic
  • empathhetic
  • empathteic
  • empatthetic
  • emppathetic
  • emptahetic
  • epmathetic
  • mepathetic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of empathetic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

emapthetic2emmpathetic1empahtetic2empatehtic2empatheitc2empathetci2empatheticc1empathettic1
Edit distance from "empathetic"

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 "empathetic"?
"empathetic" is spelled E-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/.
What does "empathetic" mean?
As an adjective, "empathetic" means: Showing empathy for others, and recognizing their feelings; empathic.
What words are commonly confused with "empathetic"?
"empathetic" is commonly confused with "empathic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "empathetic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "empathetic" is /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/. 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 "empathetic"?
Derived from empathic, modified to sound more similar to sympathetic. 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 "empathetic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enlistment#31,159disqualify#31,139diagonally#31,136depository#31,134

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

connotation15 variantshopelessness15 variantsMesopotamia15 variantstesticular15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list