fertility

/fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/

//fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti// noun

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

The verdict

“fertility” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,892 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,892
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The condition, or the degree, of being fertile.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fertility vs futility
78% similar
fertility vs fertilize
78% similar

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

Key facts for fertility
PropertyValue
Headwordfertility
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,892
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fertility” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fertility is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,892 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for fertility, with forms such as "efrtility", "feritlity", and "ferrtility". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "futility", "fertilize", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French fertilité, from Latin fertilitās, equivalent to fertile + -ity. The correct English form is fertility, spelled F-E-R-T-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition, or the degree, of being fertile.
  2. 2
    The birthrate of a population; the number of live births per 1000 people per year.
  3. 3
    The average number of births per woman within a population.

Etymology

From Middle French fertilité, from Latin fertilitās, equivalent to fertile + -ity.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: efrtility,feritlity,ferrtility,fertiilty,fertilitty,fertilityy,fertiliyt,fertillity,fertiltiy,fertliity,ferttility,fetrility,ffertility,fretility

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fertility - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

efrtility2feritlity2ferrtility1fertiilty2fertilitty1fertilityy1fertiliyt2fertillity1
Edit distance from "fertility"

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 "fertility"?
"fertility" is spelled F-E-R-T-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/.
What does "fertility" mean?
As a noun, "fertility" means: The condition, or the degree, of being fertile.
What words are commonly confused with "fertility"?
"fertility" is commonly confused with "futility", "fertilize". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fertility"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fertility" is /fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/. 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 "fertility"?
From Middle French fertilité, from Latin fertilitās, equivalent to fertile + -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.

Using “fertility”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-E-R-T-I-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “futility” - see the side-by-side comparison. fertility vs futility
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list