necessity

/nɪˈsɛsəti/

//nɪˈsɛsəti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“necessity” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,175 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,175
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

necessity vs necessary
78% similar

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

Key facts for necessity
PropertyValue
Headwordnecessity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɪˈsɛsəti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,175
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “necessity” 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). necessity 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 necessity is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɪˈsɛsəti/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,175 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 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 necessity, with forms such as "encessity", "nceessity", and "neccessity". 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, "necessary", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas. The correct English form is necessity, spelled N-E-C-E-S-S-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.
  2. 2
    The condition of being needy; desperate need; lack.
  3. 3
    Something necessary; a requisite; something indispensable.
  4. 4
    Something which makes an act or an event unavoidable; an irresistible force; overruling power.
  5. 5
    The negation of freedom in voluntary action; the subjection of all phenomena, whether material or spiritual, to inevitable causation; necessitarianism.
  6. 6
    Greater utilitarian good; used in justification of a criminal act.
  7. 7
    Indispensable requirements (of life).

Etymology

From Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas.

Synonyms

necessarinessinevitabilityneedfulnesscertaintyrequisite

Antonyms

impossibilitycontingencyluxury

This word in other languages

necesidad(Español)nécessité(Français)Notwendigkeit(Deutsch)necessidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: encessity,nceessity,neccessity,necesisty,necesity,necessitty,necessityy,necessiyt,necesstiy,necsesity,neecssity,nnecessity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

encessity2nceessity2neccessity1necesisty2necesity1necessitty1necessityy1necessiyt2
Edit distance from "necessity"

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 "necessity"?
"necessity" is spelled N-E-C-E-S-S-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪˈsɛsəti/.
What does "necessity" mean?
As a noun, "necessity" means: The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.
What words are commonly confused with "necessity"?
"necessity" is commonly confused with "necessary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "necessity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "necessity" is /nɪˈsɛsəti/. 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 "necessity"?
From Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas. 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 “necessity”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-C-E-S-S-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɪˈsɛsəti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “necessary” - see the side-by-side comparison. necessity vs necessary
  • 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