forgiveness
/fəˈɡɪvnəs/
"forgiveness" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forgiveness” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,669 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #8,669
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The action of forgiving.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forgiveness |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /fəˈɡɪvnəs/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #8,669 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “forgiveness” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for forgiveness is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fəˈɡɪvnəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,669 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for forgiveness, with forms such as "fforgiveness", "fogriveness", and "forggiveness". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes, equivalent to forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis. The correct English form is forgiveness, spelled F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1The action of forgiving.
- 2A readiness to forgive.
Etymology
From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes, equivalent to forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: fforgiveness,fogriveness,forggiveness,forgievness,forgiveenss,forgivenes,forgivenness,forgivenses,forgivneess,forgivveness,forgvieness,forigveness,forrgiveness,frogiveness,ofrgiveness
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forgiveness - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "forgiveness"?
What does "forgiveness" mean?
What are common misspellings of "forgiveness"?
How do you pronounce "forgiveness"?
What is the origin of the word "forgiveness"?
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Using “forgiveness”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /fəˈɡɪvnəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.