principality

/pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti/

//pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti// noun

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

"principality" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“principality” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,108. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,108
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A region or sovereign nation headed by a prince or princess.

Corpus desk

Index EN-principality · principality · English

principality · rank #38,108 · 19 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #38,108
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH precipitate

Nearest frequency peer: precipitate (-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 “principality”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “principality” 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).

principality vs principally
83% similar

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

Key facts for principality
PropertyValue
Headwordprincipality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti/
Letters12
Frequency rank#38,108
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “principality”

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).principalitylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “precipitate” (#38,107), “polygraph” (#38,105), “pronged” (#38,111). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “principality” is #38,108. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around principality (IPA /pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,108 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for principality, with forms such as "pirncipality", "pprincipality", and "pricnipality". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "principally", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English principalte, principalite, from Anglo-Norman principalté, Middle French principalté, from Late Latin prīncipālitās, from Latin prīncipālis (“principal”) + -tās. Equivalent to principal + -ity. The correct English form is principality, spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A region or sovereign nation headed by a prince or princess.
  2. 2
    A spiritual being, specifically in Christian angelology, the third lowest level of angels, ranked above archangels and below powers.
  3. 3
    The state of being a prince or ruler; sovereignty, absolute authority.
  4. 4
    The state of being principal; pre-eminence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At this time Russia consisted of a dozen or so principalities, which were frequently at war with one another.
  2. The principality of Freedonia (www.freedonia.org), an earnest collective of secessionist superlibertarians based in Boston, falls into the first category.

Etymology

From Middle English principalte, principalite, from Anglo-Norman principalté, Middle French principalté, from Late Latin prīncipālitās, from Latin prīncipālis (“principal”) + -tās. Equivalent to principal + -ity.

This word in other languages

principado(Español)principauté(Français)Fürstentum(Deutsch)principado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirncipality
  • pprincipality
  • pricnipality
  • princcipality
  • princiaplity
  • principailty
  • principalitty
  • principalityy
  • principaliyt
  • principallity
  • principaltiy
  • principlaity
  • princippality
  • princpiality
  • prinicpality
  • prinncipality
  • prnicipality
  • prrincipality
  • rpincipality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirncipality2pprincipality1pricnipality2princcipality1princiaplity2principailty2principalitty1principalityy1
Edit distance from "principality"

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 "principality"?
"principality" is spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti/.
What does "principality" mean?
As a noun, "principality" means: A region or sovereign nation headed by a prince or princess.
What words are commonly confused with "principality"?
"principality" is commonly confused with "principally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "principality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "principality" is /pɹɪnsɪˈpælɪti/. 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 "principality"?
From Middle English principalte, principalite, from Anglo-Norman principalté, Middle French principalté, from Late Latin prīncipālitās, from Latin prīncipālis (“principal”) + -tās. Equivalent to principal + -ity. 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 "principality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

recklessness#38,127stepdaughter#38,180interstitial#37,985inspectorate#37,984

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

gynecologist19 variantsembarrassingly19 variantstechnologist19 variantsprescriptive19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list