personal union

noun

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

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

The verdict

“personal union” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The situation of two or more states sharing the same monarch, usually also with shared dynastic succession.

Key facts for personal union
PropertyValue
Headwordpersonal union
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “personal union” sits in English frequency

personal union 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.

Rare enough to double-check

personal union is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for personal union, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: In the political sense, calque of German persönliche Vereinigung (attributed to German jurist Johann Stephan Pütter, 1777). The correct English form is personal union, spelled P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L- -U-N-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The situation of two or more states sharing the same monarch, usually also with shared dynastic succession.
  2. 2
    Hypostatic union; the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one individual existence (person).

Etymology

In the political sense, calque of German persönliche Vereinigung (attributed to German jurist Johann Stephan Pütter, 1777).

Synonyms

composite monarchycomposite statehypostatic union

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 "personal union"?
"personal union" is spelled P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L- -U-N-I-O-N.
What does "personal union" mean?
As a noun, "personal union" means: The situation of two or more states sharing the same monarch, usually also with shared dynastic succession.
What is the origin of the word "personal union"?
In the political sense, calque of German persönliche Vereinigung (attributed to German jurist Johann Stephan Pütter, 1777). 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 “personal union”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L- -U-N-I-O-N - 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