pituitary

/pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/

//pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi// adj

"pituitary" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pituitary” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,293. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,293
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or relating to the pituitary gland.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pituitary · pituitary · English

pituitary · rank #31,293 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,293
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH picturing

Nearest frequency peer: picturing (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pituitary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pituitary” 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 May 6, 2026
Key facts for pituitary
PropertyValue
Headwordpituitary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#31,293
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pituitary” 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). pituitary lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around pituitary (IPA /pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,293 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for pituitary, with forms such as "iptuitary", "pitiutary", and "pittuitary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1610s, from Latin pītuītārius (“mucous”), from pītuīta (“clammy moisture, phlegm, mucus, slime”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“to be fat, swell”). Taken as the name for the gland because it was believed that it channeled mucus to the nose. As … The correct English form is pituitary, spelled P-I-T-U-I-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to the pituitary gland.
  2. 2
    Mucous.

Etymology

1610s, from Latin pītuītārius (“mucous”), from pītuīta (“clammy moisture, phlegm, mucus, slime”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“to be fat, swell”). Taken as the name for the gland because it was believed that it channeled mucus to the nose. As a noun by 1899.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iptuitary
  • pitiutary
  • pittuitary
  • pituiatry
  • pituitarry
  • pituitaryy
  • pituitayr
  • pituitray
  • pituittary
  • pitutiary
  • piutitary
  • ppituitary
  • ptiuitary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pituitary - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iptuitary2pitiutary2pittuitary1pituiatry2pituitarry1pituitaryy1pituitayr2pituitray2
Edit distance from "pituitary"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pituitary"?
"pituitary" is spelled P-I-T-U-I-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/.
What does "pituitary" mean?
As an adjective, "pituitary" means: Of or relating to the pituitary gland.
What are common misspellings of "pituitary"?
Common misspellings include "iptuitary", "pitiutary", "pittuitary", "pituiatry", "pituitarry". The correct spelling is "pituitary".
How do you pronounce "pituitary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pituitary" is /pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/. 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 "pituitary"?
1610s, from Latin pītuītārius (“mucous”), from pītuīta (“clammy moisture, phlegm, mucus, slime”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“to be fat, swell”). Taken as the name for the gland because it was believed that it channeled mucus to the... 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 "pituitary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

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

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