jealousy

/ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si/

//ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si// noun

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

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

The verdict

“jealousy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,565. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,565
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of being jealous; a jealous attitude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jealousy · jealousy · English

jealousy · rank #10,565 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,565
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH Jacobs

Nearest frequency peer: Jacobs (-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 “jealousy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “jealousy” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

jealousy vs jealous
88% similar
jealousy vs jealously
89% similar

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

Key facts for jealousy
PropertyValue
Headwordjealousy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,565
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “jealousy”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Jacobs” (#10,564), “jewellery” (#10,566), “Istanbul” (#10,563). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jealousy” is #10,565. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around jealousy (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,565 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for jealousy, with forms such as "ejalousy", "jaelousy", and "jeallousy". 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 also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "jealous", "jealously", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English jalousie, from Old French jalousie, equivalent to jealous + -y. Doublet of jalousie. Related also to zeal, zealous. The correct English form is jealousy, spelled J-E-A-L-O-U-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of being jealous; a jealous attitude.
  2. 2
    A state of being jealous; a jealous attitude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jealousy was, however, aroused among the English nobility at the favouritism shown the Dutch newcomer.
  2. […]the jealousy of his foes of each other's share in the booty[…].

Etymology

From Middle English jalousie, from Old French jalousie, equivalent to jealous + -y. Doublet of jalousie. Related also to zeal, zealous.

Synonyms

jealousness

Antonyms

compersion

This word in other languages

celo(Español)jalousie(Français)Eifersucht(Deutsch)ciúme(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ejalousy
  • jaelousy
  • jeallousy
  • jealosuy
  • jealoussy
  • jealousyy
  • jealouys
  • jealuosy
  • jeaolusy
  • jelaousy
  • jjealousy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ejalousy2jaelousy2jeallousy1jealosuy2jealoussy1jealousyy1jealouys2jealuosy2
Edit distance from "jealousy"

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 "jealousy"?
"jealousy" is spelled J-E-A-L-O-U-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si/.
What does "jealousy" mean?
As a noun, "jealousy" means: A state of being jealous; a jealous attitude.
What words are commonly confused with "jealousy"?
"jealousy" is commonly confused with "jealous", "jealously". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jealousy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jealousy" is /ˈd͡ʒɛl.ə.si/. 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 "jealousy"?
From Middle English jalousie, from Old French jalousie, equivalent to jealous + -y. Doublet of jalousie. Related also to zeal, zealous. 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 "jealousy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Istanbul#10,563Kingston#10,569inserted#10,559initiate#10,558

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Medicaid11 variantsnotebook11 variantsdwelling11 variantsdrowned11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list