pity
/ˈpɪt.i/
"pity" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pity” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,373. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #7,373
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
Corpus desk
Index EN-pity · pity · English
pity · rank #7,373 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #7,373
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH oval
Nearest frequency peer: oval (-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 “pity”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- organize
organize
92,631 corpus weight
- Ottawa
Ottawa
92,630 corpus weight
- oval
oval
92,629 corpus weight
- pity
pity
92,628 corpus weight
- pond
pond
92,627 corpus weight
- porter
porter
92,626 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “pity” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɪt.i/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #7,373 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pity” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around pity (IPA /ˈpɪt.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,373 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pity, with forms such as "ipty", "pitty", and "pityy". 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, "pt", "put", "pot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pitye, pitie, pittye, pitee, pite, from Anglo-Norman pité, pittee etc., from Old French pitet, pitié, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and piety. The correct English form is pity, spelled P-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
- 2Something regrettable.
- 3Piety.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how pity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.
take pity on someone
Etymology
From Middle English pitye, pitie, pittye, pitee, pite, from Anglo-Norman pité, pittee etc., from Old French pitet, pitié, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and piety.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ipty
- pitty
- pityy
- piyt
- ppity
- ptiy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pity - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "pity"?
What does "pity" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pity", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "pity". Here's where to go from here.
- "pity" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pt". View pair
- 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #7,373 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.