generality

/ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/

//ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"generality" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“generality” is uncommon English (frequency #52,344 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,344
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality of being general.

Corpus desk

Index EN-generality · generality · English

generality · rank #52,344 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,344
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH GCHQ

Nearest frequency peer: GCHQ (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “generality”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “generality” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for generality
PropertyValue
Headwordgenerality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#52,344
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “generality” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).generalityfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “GCHQ” (#52,343), “Georgy” (#52,346), “gangway” (#52,341). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “generality” is #52,344. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

generality is uncommon English at frequency #52,344 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for generality, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English generalite, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French generalité (modern French généralité), from general + -ité; also influenced by Latin generālitās. By surface analysis, general + -ity. The correct English form is generality, spelled G-E-N-E-R-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being general.
  2. 2
    The population in general.
  3. 3
    A generalization.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "You must not come to me," answered her listener, "for a defence of society; I have long since loathed its bitterness as much as I despise its baseness. You cannot know the miserably mean motives that actuate the generality; but the trifles so sought give their own narrowness to the mind."
  2. He was very vague, speaking only in generalities.

Etymology

From Middle English generalite, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French generalité (modern French généralité), from general + -ité; also influenced by Latin generālitās. By surface analysis, general + -ity.

Synonyms

oftennesscommonness

This word in other languages

generalidad(Español)

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 "generality"?
"generality" is spelled G-E-N-E-R-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/.
What does "generality" mean?
As a noun, "generality" means: The quality of being general.
How do you pronounce "generality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "generality" is /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/. 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 "generality"?
From Middle English generalite, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French generalité (modern French généralité), from general + -ité; also influenced by Latin generālitās. By surface analysis, general + -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 "generality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

forewarned#52,326hitchhiker#52,379humorously#52,389Dostoevsky#52,281

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list