modesty

/ˈmɒd.ə.sti/

//ˈmɒd.ə.sti// noun

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

"modesty" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“modesty” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,286. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,286
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-modesty · modesty · English

modesty · rank #21,286 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,286
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Michelin

Nearest frequency peer: Michelin (-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 “modesty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “modesty” 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).

modesty vs molest
71% similar
modesty vs moiety
71% similar
modesty vs Moresby
57% similar

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

Key facts for modesty
PropertyValue
Headwordmodesty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒd.ə.sti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,286
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “modesty”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Michelin” (#21,285), “motherfucking” (#21,287), “meticulous” (#21,284). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “modesty” is #21,286. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around modesty (IPA /ˈmɒd.ə.sti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,286 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for modesty, with forms such as "mdoesty", "mmodesty", and "moddesty". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "molest", "moiety", "Moresby", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French modestie, from Latin modestia; equivalent to modest + -y. The correct English form is modesty, spelled M-O-D-E-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities.
  2. 2
    Moderate behaviour; reserve.
  3. 3
    Pudency, avoidance of sexual explicitness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.
  2. ... but the cars of chaste women have either coverings thrown over them, or white sheets hung over; for instance, on the cars of the female part of the family of the deceased Nawabs Khanduran and Muzaffar Khan, there used generally to be fastened thick dirty white cloths, and in like manner also on their palanquins—although one brother was the chief treas…

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French modestie, from Latin modestia; equivalent to modest + -y.

Antonyms

impudenceextravagancearroganceimmodesty

This word in other languages

modestia(Español)modestie(Français)Bescheidenheit(Deutsch)modéstia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mdoesty
  • mmodesty
  • moddesty
  • modessty
  • modestty
  • modestyy
  • modesyt
  • modetsy
  • modsety
  • moedsty
  • omdesty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mdoesty2mmodesty1moddesty1modessty1modestty1modestyy1modesyt2modetsy2
Edit distance from "modesty"

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 "modesty"?
"modesty" is spelled M-O-D-E-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒd.ə.sti/.
What does "modesty" mean?
As a noun, "modesty" means: The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities.
What words are commonly confused with "modesty"?
"modesty" is commonly confused with "molest", "moiety", "Moresby". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "modesty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "modesty" is /ˈmɒd.ə.sti/. 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 "modesty"?
Borrowed from Middle French modestie, from Latin modestia; equivalent to modest + -y. 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 "modesty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mendoza#21,283Mubarak#21,289melodic#21,281netting#21,294

Similar misspelling depth

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

McDowell11 variantsMcDonnell11 variantsMarseille11 variantsluminous11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list