petty

/ˈpɛt.i/

//ˈpɛt.i// adj

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

"petty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“petty” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,394. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,394
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having little or no importance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-petty · petty · English

petty · rank #6,394 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,394
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH penny

Nearest frequency peer: penny (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “petty”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “petty” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

petty vs pity
60% similar
petty vs Pitt
40% similar
petty vs putt
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for petty
PropertyValue
Headwordpetty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɛt.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,394
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “petty”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pettylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “penny” (#6,393), “PhD” (#6,395), “outlook” (#6,392). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “petty” is #6,394. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around petty (IPA /ˈpɛt.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,394 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for petty, with forms such as "eptty", "pettyy", and "pety". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pity", "Pitt", "putt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French petit), ulti… The correct English form is petty, spelled P-E-T-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having little or no importance.
  2. 2
    Of persons or their behaviour: marked by or reflective of undesirably limited interests, sympathies, or views; begrudging, selfish, small-minded; also, preoccupied with subjects having little or no importance and not mindful of broader concerns.
  3. 3
    Inclined to cause frustration or annoyance to others out of spite over minor grievances; extremely vindictive.
  4. 4
    Of or relating to the lowest grade or level of school; junior, primary.
  5. 5
    Little or small in size.
  6. 6
    Secondary in importance or rank; minor, subordinate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a petty fault petty squabbles
  2. Your minde is toſſing on the Ocean, / There vvhere your Argoſies vvith portly ſayle, / Like Signiors and rich Burgars on the flood, / Or as it vvere the Pageants of the ſea, / Doe ouer-peere the petty traffiquers / That curſie to them, do them reuerence / As they flie by them vvith their vvouen vvings.

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French petit), ultimately of imitative origin. It is no longer thought that the word is derived from Celtic. Doublet of petit and petite. The noun is derived from the adjective.

This word in other languages

quinqui(Español)petit(Français)gering(Deutsch)fútil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eptty
  • pettyy
  • pety
  • petyt
  • ppetty
  • ptety

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of petty - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eptty2pettyy1pety1petyt2ppetty1ptety2
Edit distance from "petty"

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 "petty"?
"petty" is spelled P-E-T-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛt.i/.
What does "petty" mean?
As an adjective, "petty" means: Having little or no importance.
What words are commonly confused with "petty"?
"petty" is commonly confused with "pity", "Pitt", "putt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "petty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petty" is /ˈpɛt.i/. 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 "petty"?
The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French pe... 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 "petty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

penny#6,393ports#6,396ninth#6,387reign#6,407

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

rises6 variantsscan6 variantsLucy6 variantsspan6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list