extremity

/ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/

//ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“extremity” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,916. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,916
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The most extreme or furthest point of something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-extremity · extremity · English

extremity · rank #28,916 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,916
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH expiry

Nearest frequency peer: expiry (-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 “extremity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “extremity” 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).

extremity vs extremely
78% similar
extremity vs extremist
78% similar
extremity vs extremism
78% similar

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

Key facts for extremity
PropertyValue
Headwordextremity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,916
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “extremity”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “expiry” (#28,915), “Ewan” (#28,914), “faithfulness” (#28,918). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “extremity” is #28,916. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around extremity (IPA /ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,916 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for extremity, with forms such as "etxremity", "exrtemity", and "extermity". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "extremely", "extremist", "extremism", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English extremite, from Old French extremité, from Latin extrēmitātem (“extremity; border, perimeter; ending”), from extrēmīs (“furthest, extreme”) + -itās (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (suffix forming nouns indicating a state of… The correct English form is extremity, spelled E-X-T-R-E-M-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The most extreme or furthest point of something.
  2. 2
    An extreme measure.
  3. 3
    A hand or foot.
  4. 4
    A limb (“major appendage of a human or animal such as an arm, leg, or wing”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [B]eſtowe your love on him, who, were it not to do you ſervice, would through the extremitie of love rather wiſh to die then live.
  2. Any ſphere revolving as on an axis, muſt have two points on its ſurface at the extremities of its axis, that do not revolve at all; theſe points, with reſpect to the Earth, are called its poles.

Etymology

From Middle English extremite, from Old French extremité, from Latin extrēmitātem (“extremity; border, perimeter; ending”), from extrēmīs (“furthest, extreme”) + -itās (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being); see extreme. Extrēmīs is derived from exter (“external, outward”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -issimus (superlative suffix) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-is- (comparative suffix) + *-(t)m̥mo- (absolutive case suffix)).

This word in other languages

extremidad(Español)extrémité(Français)Extremität(Deutsch)extremidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etxremity
  • exrtemity
  • extermity
  • extreimty
  • extremitty
  • extremityy
  • extremiyt
  • extremmity
  • extremtiy
  • extrmeity
  • extrremity
  • exttremity
  • exxtremity
  • xetremity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etxremity2exrtemity2extermity2extreimty2extremitty1extremityy1extremiyt2extremmity1
Edit distance from "extremity"

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 "extremity"?
"extremity" is spelled E-X-T-R-E-M-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/.
What does "extremity" mean?
As a noun, "extremity" means: The most extreme or furthest point of something.
What words are commonly confused with "extremity"?
"extremity" is commonly confused with "extremely", "extremist", "extremism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "extremity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "extremity" is /ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/. 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 "extremity"?
From Middle English extremite, from Old French extremité, from Latin extrēmitātem (“extremity; border, perimeter; ending”), from extrēmīs (“furthest, extreme”) + -itās (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (suffix forming nouns indicating ... 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 "extremity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

embedding#28,905Fullerton#28,929gestation#28,934Guangdong#28,935

Similar misspelling depth

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

ecumenical14 variantsconundrum14 variantsinvalidate14 variantsbloodbath14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list