nonconformity

/nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi/

//nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi// noun

"nonconformity" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nonconformity” is uncommon English (frequency #78,873 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,873
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A refusal to conform to the doctrine, discipline, or practice of a state religion, especially refusal by other Protestants to conform to the doctrine or discipline of the Church of England; the pri...

Corpus desk

Index EN-nonconformity · nonconformity · English

nonconformity · rank #78,873 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,873
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nonexistence

Nearest frequency peer: nonexistence (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “nonconformity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “nonconformity” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nonconformity
PropertyValue
Headwordnonconformity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi/
Letters13
Frequency rank#78,873
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nonconformity” in English

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).nonconformityfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “nonexistence” (#78,874), “nitrocellulose” (#78,870), “Nicaea” (#78,867). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nonconformity” is #78,873. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nonconformity is uncommon English at frequency #78,873 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nonconformity, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From non- + conformity. The correct English form is nonconformity, spelled N-O-N-C-O-N-F-O-R-M-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A refusal to conform to the doctrine, discipline, or practice of a state religion, especially refusal by other Protestants to conform to the doctrine or discipline of the Church of England; the principles or practice of nonconformists; nonconformists as a class.
  2. 2
    A rejection of, or failure to conform to, a practice, standard, rule, or law.
  3. 3
    A type of unconformity in which a nonsedimentary rock intrudes in sedimentary layers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Here then is S. Pauls Judaeus in abscondito, a Jew inwardly. Here is the true Recusant, and the true Non-conformitan; Au∣diunt, sed non faciunt: he comes to hear, but never comes to doe; there's Recusancy: he confesses that he hath received good instru∣ction, but he refufes to conform himself unto it; there's Non-con∣formity'.
  2. But as no man, that does acknowledg the Authority and Divinity of the Scriptures, can easily satisfie himself in living in the Breach of any of it's known rules and precepts, without the countenance and protection (such as it is) of some vain imagination, and deceitful reasoning or other, so is it in this case with some, who having no mind to this way of…

Etymology

From non- + conformity.

This word in other languages

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 "nonconformity"?
"nonconformity" is spelled N-O-N-C-O-N-F-O-R-M-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi/.
What does "nonconformity" mean?
As a noun, "nonconformity" means: A refusal to conform to the doctrine, discipline, or practice of a state religion, especially refusal by other Protestants to conform to the doctrine or discipline of the Church of England; the pri...
How do you pronounce "nonconformity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nonconformity" is /nɑnkənˈfɔɹmɪdi/. 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 "nonconformity"?
From non- + conformity. 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 "nonconformity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list