modality

noun

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

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

The verdict

“modality” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,674
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-modality · modality · English

modality · rank #36,674 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,674
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MMO

Nearest frequency peer: MMO (-2 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 “modality”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “modality” 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).

modality vs morality
88% similar
modality vs motility
75% similar
modality vs mortality
78% similar

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

Key facts for modality
PropertyValue
Headwordmodality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,674
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “modality”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).modalitylands 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 “MMO” (#36,672), “moly” (#36,676), “mistletoe” (#36,671). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “modality” is #36,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around modality, anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,674 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for modality, with forms such as "mdoality", "mmodality", and "moadlity". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "morality", "motility", "mortality", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French modalité. The correct English form is modality, spelled M-O-D-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fact of being modal.
  2. 2
    The classification of propositions on the basis on whether they claim possibility, impossibility, contingency or necessity; mode.
  3. 3
    The inflection of a verb that shows how its action is conceived by the speaker.
  4. 4
    A method of diagnosis or therapy.
  5. 5
    Any of the senses (such as sight or taste)
  6. 6
    A particular way in which the information is to be encoded for presentation to humans, i.e. to the type of sign and to the status of reality ascribed to or claimed by a sign, text or genre.
  7. 7
    The organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations.
  8. 8
    The subject concerning certain diatonic scales known as musical modes.
  9. 9
    The way in which infrastructure and knowledge of how to use it give rise to a meaningful pattern of interaction (a concept in Anthony Giddens's structuration theory).
  10. 10
    The quality of being limited by a condition.
  11. 11
    That whether a zodiac sign is cardinal, fixed or mutable

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If a port-wine stain has been treated with another modality, such as the argon, CO2, or KTP laser, electrocautery, radiation, or tattooing, FPDL treatment may provide less lightening and improvement.
  2. The four major modalities used in patients with solid tumors are (a) surgery, (b) radiation therapy, (c) chemotherapy, and (d) immunotherapy

Etymology

From French modalité.

This word in other languages

modalidad(Español)modalité(Français)Modalität(Deutsch)modalidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mdoality
  • mmodality
  • moadlity
  • modailty
  • modalitty
  • modalityy
  • modaliyt
  • modallity
  • modaltiy
  • moddality
  • modlaity
  • omdality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mdoality2mmodality1moadlity2modailty2modalitty1modalityy1modaliyt2modallity1
Edit distance from "modality"

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 "modality"?
"modality" is spelled M-O-D-A-L-I-T-Y.
What does "modality" mean?
As a noun, "modality" means: The fact of being modal.
What words are commonly confused with "modality"?
"modality" is commonly confused with "morality", "motility", "mortality". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "modality"?
From French modalité. 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 "modality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

monetize#36,677Missoula#36,670monolith#36,678Medvedev#36,661

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

mystics12 variantsrelaying12 variantsreshuffle12 variantsroughness12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list