empty

/ˈɛm(p).ti/

//ˈɛm(p).ti// adj

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

"empty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“empty” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,533. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,533
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-empty · empty · English

empty · rank #2,533 · 8 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,533
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH dreams

Nearest frequency peer: dreams (-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 “empty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “empty” 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).

empty vs EMT
0% similar
empty vs enmity
67% similar
empty vs Emmy
40% similar

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

Key facts for empty
PropertyValue
Headwordempty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛm(p).ti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,533
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “empty”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).emptylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dreams” (#2,532), “enjoyed” (#2,534), “dollar” (#2,531). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “empty” is #2,533. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around empty (IPA /ˈɛm(p).ti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,533 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for empty, with forms such as "emmpty", "emppty", and "emptty". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "EMT", "enmity", "Emmy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô… The correct English form is empty, spelled E-M-P-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
  2. 2
    Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
  3. 3
    Free; clear; devoid; often with of.
  4. 4
    Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.
  5. 5
    Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.
  6. 6
    Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.
  7. 7
    Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
  8. 8
    Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.
  9. 9
    Not pregnant; not producing offspring when expected to do so during the breeding season.
  10. 10
    Producing nothing; unfruitful.
  11. 11
    Hungry.
  12. 12
    Lacking between the onset of tasting and the finish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an empty purse
  2. an empty jug

Etymology

From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô (“ability, accommodation”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure; to acquire, possess, be in command”). Related to Old English ġeǣmtigian (“to empty”), ǣmetta (“leisure”), mōtan (“can, to be allowed”). More at mote, meet. The interconsonantal excrescent p is a euphonic insertion dating from Middle English.

Synonyms

emptyempty as a pauper's purseempty as the tomb on Eastercleanleertoomunfilledvacantvacuumlikevacuousvoid

Antonyms

cramfulcramfullfreightedfraughtfulljammedjam-packedjam rammedladenloadednon-emptypackedpacked to the gillspacked to the raftersrammedrammed to the raftersstuffedstuffed to the gills

This word in other languages

vacío(Español)vide(Français)leer(Deutsch)vazio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emmpty
  • emppty
  • emptty
  • emptyy
  • empyt
  • emtpy
  • epmty
  • mepty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emmpty1emppty1emptty1emptyy1empyt2emtpy2epmty2mepty2
Edit distance from "empty"

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 "empty"?
"empty" is spelled E-M-P-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛm(p).ti/.
What does "empty" mean?
As an adjective, "empty" means: Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
What words are commonly confused with "empty"?
"empty" is commonly confused with "EMT", "enmity", "Emmy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "empty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "empty" is /ˈɛm(p).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 "empty"?
From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”... 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 "empty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

faces#2,536folks#2,537deals#2,527kinda#2,542

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

holds8 variantsheaven8 variantscycle8 variantsbirds8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list