enormity

/ɪˈnɔːmɪti/

//ɪˈnɔːmɪti// noun

"enormity" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enormity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,628. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,628
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deviation from what is normal or standard; irregularity, abnormality.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enormity · enormity · English

enormity · rank #42,628 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #42,628
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH encoder

Nearest frequency peer: encoder (-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 “enormity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “enormity” 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).

enormity vs enmity
75% similar

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

Key facts for enormity
PropertyValue
Headwordenormity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈnɔːmɪti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#42,628
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “enormity”

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).enormitylands 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 “encoder” (#42,627), “Elysium” (#42,626), “espouse” (#42,630). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “enormity” is #42,628. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around enormity (IPA /ɪˈnɔːmɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,628 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for enormity, with forms such as "ennormity", "enomrity", and "enorimty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "enmity", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English ēnorme (“monstrous or unnatural act; enormity”), from Old French énormité (“enormity”), from Latin ēnormitās (“irregularity; enormity”), from ēnōrmis (“irregular, unusual; enormous, immense”) + -itās (suffix forming nouns indicating… The correct English form is enormity, spelled E-N-O-R-M-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deviation from what is normal or standard; irregularity, abnormality.
  2. 2
    Deviation from moral normality; extreme wickedness, nefariousness, or cruelty.
  3. 3
    A breach of law or morality; a transgression, an act of evil or wickedness.
  4. 4
    Great size; enormousness, hugeness, immenseness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Not until the war ended and journalists were able to enter Cambodia did the world really become aware of the enormity of Pol Pot’s oppression.
  2. I had an obscure feeling that all was not over, and that he would still commit some signal crime, which by its enormity should almost efface the recollection of the past.

Etymology

From Late Middle English ēnorme (“monstrous or unnatural act; enormity”), from Old French énormité (“enormity”), from Latin ēnormitās (“irregularity; enormity”), from ēnōrmis (“irregular, unusual; enormous, immense”) + -itās (suffix forming nouns indicating states of being). Ēnōrmis is derived from e- (a variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘out; away’) + nōrma (“norm, standard”) + -is (Latin suffix forming adjectives from nouns).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ennormity
  • enomrity
  • enorimty
  • enormitty
  • enormityy
  • enormiyt
  • enormmity
  • enormtiy
  • enorrmity
  • enromity
  • eonrmity
  • neormity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ennormity1enomrity2enorimty2enormitty1enormityy1enormiyt2enormmity1enormtiy2
Edit distance from "enormity"

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 "enormity"?
"enormity" is spelled E-N-O-R-M-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈnɔːmɪti/.
What does "enormity" mean?
As a noun, "enormity" means: Deviation from what is normal or standard; irregularity, abnormality.
What words are commonly confused with "enormity"?
"enormity" is commonly confused with "enmity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enormity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enormity" is /ɪˈnɔːmɪti/. 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 "enormity"?
From Late Middle English ēnorme (“monstrous or unnatural act; enormity”), from Old French énormité (“enormity”), from Latin ēnormitās (“irregularity; enormity”), from ēnōrmis (“irregular, unusual; enormous, immense”) + -itās (suffix forming nouns ... 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 "enormity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list