ethnicity

/ɛθˈnɪsɪti/

//ɛθˈnɪsɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ethnicity” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,689. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,689
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ethnicity · ethnicity · English

ethnicity · rank #10,689 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,689
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ethiopia

Nearest frequency peer: Ethiopia (-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 “ethnicity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ethnicity” 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
Key facts for ethnicity
PropertyValue
Headwordethnicity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɛθˈnɪsɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#10,689
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ethnicity”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ethnicitylands 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 “Ethiopia” (#10,688), “eventual” (#10,690), “escaping” (#10,687). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ethnicity” is #10,689. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around ethnicity (IPA /ɛθˈnɪsɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,689 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for ethnicity, with forms such as "ehtnicity", "ethhnicity", and "ethincity". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ethnic + -ity. The correct English form is ethnicity, spelled E-T-H-N-I-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
  2. 2
    An ethnic group.
  3. 3
    Race; common ancestry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept? […] After all, more and more…
  2. As a young Asian American, I was lucky growing up in an inclusive suburb, where although known to be predominantly Caucasian, all blends of cultures and ethnicities were embodied in the school populations. That said, the “K-wave” had not reached the depths of Naperville yet, and I remember K-pop lovers being perceived as outcasts all over the States.

Etymology

From ethnic + -ity.

This word in other languages

etnicidad(Español)ethnicité(Français)Ethnizität(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehtnicity
  • ethhnicity
  • ethincity
  • ethnciity
  • ethniccity
  • ethnicitty
  • ethnicityy
  • ethniciyt
  • ethnictiy
  • ethniicty
  • ethnnicity
  • etnhicity
  • etthnicity
  • tehnicity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehtnicity2ethhnicity1ethincity2ethnciity2ethniccity1ethnicitty1ethnicityy1ethniciyt2
Edit distance from "ethnicity"

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 "ethnicity"?
"ethnicity" is spelled E-T-H-N-I-C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛθˈnɪsɪti/.
What does "ethnicity" mean?
As a noun, "ethnicity" means: The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
What are common misspellings of "ethnicity"?
Common misspellings include "ehtnicity", "ethhnicity", "ethincity", "ethnciity", "ethniccity". The correct spelling is "ethnicity".
How do you pronounce "ethnicity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ethnicity" is /ɛθˈnɪsɪti/. 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 "ethnicity"?
From ethnic + -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 "ethnicity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

confessed#10,669bacterial#10,653Arlington#10,648mysteries#10,731

Similar misspelling depth

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

commodities14 variantsceremonies14 variantsanticipate14 variantsunchanged14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list