industry

/ˈɪn.də.stɹi/

//ˈɪn.də.stɹi// noun

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

"industry" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“industry” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #656. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#656
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The tendency to work persistently.

Key facts for industry
PropertyValue
Headwordindustry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.də.stɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#656
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “industry” 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). industry lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around industry (IPA /ˈɪn.də.stɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #656 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for industry, with forms such as "idnustry", "inddustry", and "indsutry". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English industry, industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity, industry”), from industrius (“diligent, active, zealous”), from Old Latin indostruus (“diligent, active”); origin unknown. Perhaps from indu (“in… The correct English form is industry, spelled I-N-D-U-S-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tendency to work persistently.
  2. 2
    Businesses of the same type, considered as a whole; trade.
  3. 3
    Businesses that produce goods as opposed to services.
  4. 4
    The sector of the economy consisting of large-scale enterprises.
  5. 5
    Automated production of material goods.
  6. 6
    A typological classification of stone tools, associated with a technocomplex.

Etymology

From Middle English industry, industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity, industry”), from industrius (“diligent, active, zealous”), from Old Latin indostruus (“diligent, active”); origin unknown. Perhaps from indu (“in”) + ūst-, ūstr-, stem of ūrō (“burn, burn up, consume”, verb), related to Old High German ūstrī (“industry”), Old English andūstrian (“to hate, detest”, literally “to be consumed with zeal”).

Synonyms

diligenceindustriousnessapplicationsectorfieldbusinesses that produce goods

This word in other languages

industria(Español)industrie(Français)Bestreben(Deutsch)indústria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnustry
  • inddustry
  • indsutry
  • indusrty
  • indusstry
  • industrry
  • industryy
  • industtry
  • industyr
  • indutsry
  • inndustry
  • inudstry
  • nidustry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of industry - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

idnustry2inddustry1indsutry2indusrty2indusstry1industrry1industryy1industtry1
Edit distance from "industry"

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 "industry"?
"industry" is spelled I-N-D-U-S-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.də.stɹi/.
What does "industry" mean?
As a noun, "industry" means: The tendency to work persistently.
What are common misspellings of "industry"?
Common misspellings include "idnustry", "inddustry", "indsutry", "indusrty", "indusstry". The correct spelling is "industry".
How do you pronounce "industry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "industry" is /ˈɪn.də.stɹi/. 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 "industry"?
From Middle English industry, industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity, industry”), from industrius (“diligent, active, zealous”), from Old Latin indostruus (“diligent, active”); origin unknown. Perhaps from... 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 “industry”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-U-S-T-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪn.də.stɹi/ (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

Same frequency band

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