pharmacy

/ˈfɑːməsi/

//ˈfɑːməsi// noun

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

"pharmacy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pharmacy” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,706. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,706
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place where prescription drugs are sold or dispensed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pharmacy · pharmacy · English

pharmacy · rank #8,706 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,706
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH peaks

Nearest frequency peer: peaks (-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 “pharmacy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pharmacy” 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).

pharmacy vs pharma
75% similar

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

Key facts for pharmacy
PropertyValue
Headwordpharmacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɑːməsi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,706
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pharmacy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pharmacylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “peaks” (#8,705), “pools” (#8,707), “parenting” (#8,704). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pharmacy” is #8,706. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around pharmacy (IPA /ˈfɑːməsi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,706 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for pharmacy, with forms such as "hparmacy", "pahrmacy", and "phamracy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "pharma", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pharmacy, borrowed from Middle French pharmacie (“the art of creating drugs; a drug, especially a laxative”), from Old French farmacie, from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Ancient Greek φαρμακεία (pharmakeía, “the use of drugs”), from φά… The correct English form is pharmacy, spelled P-H-A-R-M-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place where prescription drugs are sold or dispensed.
  2. 2
    The science of medicinal substances, inclusive of pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, phytochemistry, and forensics.
  3. 3
    The role or occupation of a pharmacist.

Etymology

From Middle English pharmacy, borrowed from Middle French pharmacie (“the art of creating drugs; a drug, especially a laxative”), from Old French farmacie, from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Ancient Greek φαρμακεία (pharmakeía, “the use of drugs”), from φάρμακον (phármakon, “a drug, charm, enchantment”), of uncertain but likely Pre-Greek origin. Attested since late 14th century.

Synonyms

drugstorechemistchemist shopchemist'schemist's shopdispensarydruggist'sdruggist's shopapothecary'sapothecary's shopapothecary

This word in other languages

farmacia(Español)pharmacie(Français)Apotheke(Deutsch)farmácia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hparmacy
  • pahrmacy
  • phamracy
  • pharamcy
  • pharmaccy
  • pharmacyy
  • pharmayc
  • pharmcay
  • pharmmacy
  • pharrmacy
  • phharmacy
  • phramacy
  • ppharmacy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pharmacy - 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.

hparmacy2pahrmacy2phamracy2pharamcy2pharmaccy1pharmacyy1pharmayc2pharmcay2
Edit distance from "pharmacy"

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 "pharmacy"?
"pharmacy" is spelled P-H-A-R-M-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɑːməsi/.
What does "pharmacy" mean?
As a noun, "pharmacy" means: A place where prescription drugs are sold or dispensed.
What words are commonly confused with "pharmacy"?
"pharmacy" is commonly confused with "pharma". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pharmacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pharmacy" is /ˈfɑːməsi/. 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 "pharmacy"?
From Middle English pharmacy, borrowed from Middle French pharmacie (“the art of creating drugs; a drug, especially a laxative”), from Old French farmacie, from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Ancient Greek φαρμακεία (pharmakeía, “the use of drugs”... 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 "pharmacy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Muhammad#8,697regulate#8,716Morrison#8,695maturity#8,689

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

proceeded13 variantsseventeen13 variantsunstable13 variantsexamining13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list