maternity

/məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/

//məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti// noun

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

"maternity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“maternity” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,914. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,914
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being a mother; motherhood.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maternity · maternity · English

maternity · rank #11,914 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,914
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Marvin

Nearest frequency peer: Marvin (-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 “maternity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “maternity” 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).

maternity vs maturity
78% similar
maternity vs modernity
78% similar

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

Key facts for maternity
PropertyValue
Headwordmaternity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,914
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “maternity”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Marvin” (#11,913), “manly” (#11,912), “misconduct” (#11,916). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “maternity” is #11,914. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around maternity (IPA /məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,914 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for maternity, with forms such as "amternity", "maetrnity", and "matenrity". 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, "maturity", "modernity", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French maternité, from Latin māternitās. The correct English form is maternity, spelled M-A-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being a mother; motherhood.
  2. 2
    The state of being pregnant; pregnancy.
  3. 3
    A ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She's working in maternity this month.

Etymology

From French maternité, from Latin māternitās.

Synonyms

maternity ward

Antonyms

paternity

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amternity
  • maetrnity
  • matenrity
  • materinty
  • maternitty
  • maternityy
  • materniyt
  • maternnity
  • materntiy
  • materrnity
  • matrenity
  • matternity
  • mmaternity
  • mtaernity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of maternity - 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.

amternity2maetrnity2matenrity2materinty2maternitty1maternityy1materniyt2maternnity1
Edit distance from "maternity"

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 "maternity"?
"maternity" is spelled M-A-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/.
What does "maternity" mean?
As a noun, "maternity" means: The state of being a mother; motherhood.
What words are commonly confused with "maternity"?
"maternity" is commonly confused with "maturity", "modernity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "maternity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maternity" is /məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/. 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 "maternity"?
From French maternité, from Latin māternitās. 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 "maternity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

evacuated#11,887pronounce#11,946disregard#11,877disciples#11,876

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

ineffective14 variantsimperative14 variantschartered14 variantsstupidity14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list