modality

noun

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

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

The verdict

“modality” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,674 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#36,674
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The fact of being modal.

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)

Where “modality” 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). modality lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for modality is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #36,674 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

Using “modality”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-D-A-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “morality” - see the side-by-side comparison. modality vs morality
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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