perspicuity
/ˌpəːspɪˈkjuːɪti/
"perspicuity" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perspicuity” 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
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Clarity, lucidity, especially in expression; the state or characteristic of being perspicuous.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | perspicuity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpəːspɪˈkjuːɪti/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perspicuity” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for perspicuity is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌpəːspɪˈkjuːɪti/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
perspicuity doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin perspicuitās (“evidentness”, “self-evidency”, literally “transparency”, “clarity”, “lucidity”), from Latin perspicuus (“clear”, “transparent”; “evident”); compare perspicacity and the French perspicuité. By surface analysis, perspic… The correct English form is perspicuity, spelled P-E-R-S-P-I-C-U-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1Clarity, lucidity, especially in expression; the state or characteristic of being perspicuous.
- 2Perspicacity; insight.
- 3Transparency; translucence.
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin perspicuitās (“evidentness”, “self-evidency”, literally “transparency”, “clarity”, “lucidity”), from Latin perspicuus (“clear”, “transparent”; “evident”); compare perspicacity and the French perspicuité. By surface analysis, perspicuous + -ity.
Synonyms
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
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Using “perspicuity”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-S-P-I-C-U-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpəːspɪˈkjuːɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.