malignancy

/məˈlɪɡ.nən.si/

//məˈlɪɡ.nən.si// noun

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

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

The verdict

“malignancy” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,321. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,321
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being malignant or diseased.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malignancy · malignancy · English

malignancy · rank #44,321 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #44,321
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mahon

Nearest frequency peer: Mahon (-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 “malignancy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “malignancy” 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).

malignancy vs malignant
80% similar

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

Key facts for malignancy
PropertyValue
Headwordmalignancy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈlɪɡ.nən.si/
Letters10
Frequency rank#44,321
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “malignancy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).malignancylands 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 “Mahon” (#44,320), “Mamie” (#44,322), “madmen” (#44,319). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malignancy” is #44,321. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around malignancy (IPA /məˈlɪɡ.nən.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,321 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for malignancy, with forms such as "amlignancy", "mailgnancy", and "malginancy". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "malignant", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From malignant + -cy or malign + -ancy or Latin malignantia. The correct English form is malignancy, spelled M-A-L-I-G-N-A-N-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being malignant or diseased.
  2. 2
    A malignant cancer; specifically, any neoplasm that is invasive or otherwise not benign.
  3. 3
    That which is malign; evil, depravity, malevolence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]he malignancie of my fate, might perhaps diſtemper yours; […]
  2. A cold wind swept down from it and set us shivering. Somewhere there, on that desolate plain, was lurking this fiendish man, hiding in a burrow like a wild beast, his heart full of malignancy against the whole race which had cast him out.

Etymology

From malignant + -cy or malign + -ancy or Latin malignantia.

Synonyms

malignancemalignity

Antonyms

benignancybenignity

This word in other languages

malignité(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amlignancy
  • mailgnancy
  • malginancy
  • maliganncy
  • maliggnancy
  • malignacny
  • malignanccy
  • malignancyy
  • malignanncy
  • malignanyc
  • malignnacy
  • malignnancy
  • malingancy
  • mallignancy
  • mlaignancy
  • mmalignancy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of malignancy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amlignancy2mailgnancy2malginancy2maliganncy2maliggnancy1malignacny2malignanccy1malignancyy1
Edit distance from "malignancy"

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 "malignancy"?
"malignancy" is spelled M-A-L-I-G-N-A-N-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈlɪɡ.nən.si/.
What does "malignancy" mean?
As a noun, "malignancy" means: The state of being malignant or diseased.
What words are commonly confused with "malignancy"?
"malignancy" is commonly confused with "malignant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "malignancy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malignancy" is /məˈlɪɡ.nən.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 "malignancy"?
From malignant + -cy or malign + -ancy or Latin malignantia. 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 "malignancy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

McClintock#44,330mercifully#44,335microbiome#44,339Napolitano#44,364

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

lipoprotein16 variantshandicraft16 variantsgreenlight16 variantspretenders16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list