perversity

/pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/

//pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti// noun

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

"perversity" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perversity” is uncommon English (frequency #72,637 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,637
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - The quality of being perverse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perversity · perversity · English

perversity · rank #72,637 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,637
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perching

Nearest frequency peer: perching (-2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “perversity”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “perversity” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for perversity
PropertyValue
Headwordperversity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#72,637
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perversity” 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). perversity lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

perversity is uncommon English at frequency #72,637 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

perversity has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From perverse + -ity, from Middle French perversité, from Latin perversitās. The correct English form is perversity, spelled P-E-R-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being perverse.
  2. 2
    Something which is perverse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hey kids, the word of the week is "pupaphobia"! Others may enjoy being frightened by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and cannibal clowns, but my Halloween is never complete without a murderous Muppet or two. Thankfully, a pair of events last Friday the 13th provided a perfect double feature of puppet perversity.
  2. More generally, for the ULD property to hold, the substitution effects (which are always well behaved) must be large enough to overcome possible “perversities” coming from the wealth effects.

Etymology

From perverse + -ity, from Middle French perversité, from Latin perversitās.

This word in other languages

perversidad(Español)Perversität(Deutsch)perversidade(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "perversity"?
"perversity" is spelled P-E-R-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/.
What does "perversity" mean?
As a noun, "perversity" means: The quality of being perverse.
How do you pronounce "perversity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perversity" is /pə(ɹ)ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/. 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 "perversity"?
From perverse + -ity, from Middle French perversité, from Latin perversitās. 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 "perversity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pentatonic#72,634planktonic#72,653quartering#72,683radiologic#72,689
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