forgiveness

/fəˈɡɪvnəs/

//fəˈɡɪvnəs// noun

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

"forgiveness" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forgiveness” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,669. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,669
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of forgiving.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forgiveness · forgiveness · English

forgiveness · rank #8,669 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,669
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foreigners

Nearest frequency peer: foreigners (-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 “forgiveness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forgiveness” 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 forgiveness
PropertyValue
Headwordforgiveness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fəˈɡɪvnəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#8,669
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forgiveness”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).forgivenesslands 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 “foreigners” (#8,668), “gem” (#8,670), “forehead” (#8,667). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forgiveness” is #8,669. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around forgiveness (IPA /fəˈɡɪvnəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,669 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    The action of forgiving.
  2. 2
    A readiness to forgive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He begged for forgiveness after being caught stealing from the shop.
  2. At the end of a week, she could bear the suspense no longer, and so went humbly to her old home and sought forgiveness.

Etymology

From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes, equivalent to forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.

Synonyms

remissionmercyforgiveness

This word in other languages

perdón(Español)pardon(Français)Verzeihung(Deutsch)perdão(Português)

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.

fforgiveness1fogriveness2forggiveness1forgievness2forgiveenss2forgivenes1forgivenness1forgivenses2
Edit distance from "forgiveness"

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"?
"forgiveness" is spelled F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /fəˈɡɪvnəs/.
What does "forgiveness" mean?
As a noun, "forgiveness" means: The action of forgiving.
What are common misspellings of "forgiveness"?
Common misspellings include "fforgiveness", "fogriveness", "forggiveness", "forgievness", "forgiveenss". The correct spelling is "forgiveness".
How do you pronounce "forgiveness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forgiveness" is /fəˈɡɪvnəs/. 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 "forgiveness"?
From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes, equivalent to forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis. 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 "forgiveness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

extensively#8,664distinguish#8,657Minneapolis#8,693neighboring#8,698

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

foreigners15 variantsoptimistic15 variantsrenaissance15 variantsstretched15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list