poverty

/ˈpɒvəti/

//ˈpɒvəti// noun

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

"poverty" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poverty” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,251 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,251
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality or state of being poor; lack of money

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poverty vs puberty
71% similar
poverty vs property
75% similar

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

Key facts for poverty
PropertyValue
Headwordpoverty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒvəti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,251
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poverty” 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). poverty lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for poverty is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɒvəti/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,251 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for poverty, with forms such as "opverty", "poevrty", and "poverrty". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "puberty", "property", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor. The correct English form is poverty, spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or state of being poor; lack of money
  2. 2
    A deficiency of something needed or desired

Etymology

From Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor.

Synonyms

armthbeggarybrokenessdestitutionimpecuniosityimpecuniousnessindigencemendicancymendicitymiseryneedinesspauperismpenurypovertyprivationreduced circumstancesstraitened circumstances

Antonyms

abundancedecadencelap of luxuryluxuryrichesrichnesswanting for nothingwealthwealthiness

This word in other languages

pobreza(Español)pauvreté(Français)Armut(Deutsch)pobreza(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opverty,poevrty,poverrty,povertty,povertyy,poveryt,povetry,povrety,povverty,ppoverty,pvoerty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opverty2poevrty2poverrty1povertty1povertyy1poveryt2povetry2povrety2
Edit distance from "poverty"

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 "poverty"?
"poverty" is spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒvəti/.
What does "poverty" mean?
As a noun, "poverty" means: The quality or state of being poor; lack of money
What words are commonly confused with "poverty"?
"poverty" is commonly confused with "puberty", "property". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poverty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poverty" is /ˈpɒvəti/. 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 "poverty"?
From Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor. 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.

Using “poverty”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-V-E-R-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɒvəti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “puberty” - see the side-by-side comparison. poverty vs puberty
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list