not guilty

noun

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

"not-guilty" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“not guilty” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A formal plea by a defendant of not being culpable for the crime with which the defendant is charged.

Key facts for not guilty
PropertyValue
Headwordnot guilty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “not guilty” sits in English frequency

not guilty falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for not guilty is 10 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for not guilty, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is not guilty, spelled N-O-T- -G-U-I-L-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A formal plea by a defendant of not being culpable for the crime with which the defendant is charged.
  2. 2
    A verdict or formal finding by the legal system that a defendant is not culpable for the crime with which the defendant was charged.
  3. 3
    A member of a jury or tribunal supporting acquittal, or a vote cast in support of acquittal.
  4. 4
    A person who has been acquitted of a crime.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "not guilty"?
"not guilty" is spelled N-O-T- -G-U-I-L-T-Y.
What does "not guilty" mean?
As a noun, "not guilty" means: A formal plea by a defendant of not being culpable for the crime with which the defendant is charged.
What language does "not guilty" come from?
"not guilty" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “not guilty”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-T- -G-U-I-L-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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