plurality

/plʊˈɹæləti/

//plʊˈɹæləti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“plurality” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,774. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,774
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being plural.

Corpus desk

Index EN-plurality · plurality · English

plurality · rank #16,774 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #16,774
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH piping

Nearest frequency peer: piping (-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 “plurality”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “plurality” 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).

plurality vs pluralism
78% similar

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

Key facts for plurality
PropertyValue
Headwordplurality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/plʊˈɹæləti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,774
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “plurality”

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).pluralitylands 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 “piping” (#16,773), “prehistoric” (#16,775), “physicist” (#16,772). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “plurality” is #16,774. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around plurality (IPA /plʊˈɹæləti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,774 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for plurality, with forms such as "lpurality", "pllurality", and "plruality". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "pluralism", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From plural + -ity, from Middle English pluralite, from Old French pluralité (“multitude, state of being plural”), from Latin plūrālitās. The correct English form is plurality, spelled P-L-U-R-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being plural.
  2. 2
    The holding of multiple benefices.
  3. 3
    A state of being numerous.
  4. 4
    A number or part of a whole which is greater than any other number or part, but not necessarily a majority.
  5. 5
    A number of votes for a single candidate or position which is greater than the number of votes gained by any other single candidate or position voted for, but which is less than a majority of valid votes cast.
  6. 6
    A margin by which a number exceeds another number, especially of votes.
  7. 7
    A group of many entities: a large number.
  8. 8
    A group composed of more than one entity.
  9. 9
    Polygamy.
  10. 10
    Synonym of multiplicity (“the condition whereby a person displays or experiences multiple distinct personalities or selves in one body”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nominal plurality in Basque is originally exclusively marked on definite determiners and not on nouns.
  2. It was the complaint and lamentation of Prelats, upon every least breath of a motion to remove pluralities, and distribute more equally Church revennu's, that then all learning would be for ever dasht and discourag'd.

Etymology

From plural + -ity, from Middle English pluralite, from Old French pluralité (“multitude, state of being plural”), from Latin plūrālitās.

Antonyms

singularity

This word in other languages

pluralidad(Español)pluralité(Français)Pluralität(Deutsch)pluralidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpurality
  • pllurality
  • plruality
  • pluarlity
  • plurailty
  • pluralitty
  • pluralityy
  • pluraliyt
  • plurallity
  • pluraltiy
  • plurlaity
  • plurrality
  • pplurality
  • pulrality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of plurality - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lpurality2pllurality1plruality2pluarlity2plurailty2pluralitty1pluralityy1pluraliyt2
Edit distance from "plurality"

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 "plurality"?
"plurality" is spelled P-L-U-R-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /plʊˈɹæləti/.
What does "plurality" mean?
As a noun, "plurality" means: The state of being plural.
What words are commonly confused with "plurality"?
"plurality" is commonly confused with "pluralism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plurality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plurality" is /plʊˈɹæləti/. 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 "plurality"?
From plural + -ity, from Middle English pluralite, from Old French pluralité (“multitude, state of being plural”), from Latin plūrālitās. 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 "plurality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

physicist#16,772phosphate#16,770misguided#16,752Mansfield#16,745

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

livelihood14 variantsintrusion14 variantsGreenland14 variantsdisparity14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list