pity
pit·y/ˈpɪt.i/noun, verb, interjection
pity is spelled P-I-T-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables (pit·y). It appears 9.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,338th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pity means “A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pity is pities.
How many letters and syllables are in pity?
| Letters | 4: P-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pit·y |
| In writing | 9.5 times per million words; the 7,338th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is pity?
Pity appears 9.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,338th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pity?
- /ˈpɪt.i/
Pity has 2 syllables, split pit·y in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pity
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: pitty (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: pitty.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pity
- pities plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pitying participle, present
- pitied participle, past
- pity!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.
- 2
Feeling of contempt one has for someone who is hopelessly inferior.
- 3
Something regrettable.
It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.
- 4
obsoletePiety.
verb
- 1
To feel pity for (someone or something).
You have got to pity the guy - he lost his wife, mother and job in the same month.
- 2
To feel contempt for someone who is hopelessly inferior.
- 3
To make (someone) feel pity; to provoke the sympathy or compassion of.
interjection
- 1
Ellipsis of what a pity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | compassion, pitié , dommage, honte , plaindre, avoir pitié de |
| German | Mitleid , schade , bemitleiden |
| Portuguese | pena , lástima , apiedar-se de, sentir dó de, sentir compaixão por |
| Spanish | piedad, lástima , pena , tener(le) lástima, compadecer (se de), apiadar (se de) |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pity come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).