publicity

/pʌbˈlɪsɪti/

//pʌbˈlɪsɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“publicity” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,172 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,172
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Advertising or other activity designed to rouse public interest in something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

publicity vs publicly
78% similar
publicity vs publicize
78% similar
publicity vs publicist
78% similar

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

Key facts for publicity
PropertyValue
Headwordpublicity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pʌbˈlɪsɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,172
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “publicity” 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). publicity 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 publicity is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pʌbˈlɪsɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,172 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for publicity, with forms such as "pbulicity", "ppublicity", and "pubblicity". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "publicly", "publicize", "publicist", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French publicité, From Medieval Latin pūblicitātem, accusative singular of pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus (“public, general”). Morphologically public + -ity. The correct English form is publicity, spelled P-U-B-L-I-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Advertising or other activity designed to rouse public interest in something.
  2. 2
    Public interest attracted in this way.
  3. 3
    The condition of being the object of public attention.
  4. 4
    The quality of being public, not private.

Etymology

From French publicité, From Medieval Latin pūblicitātem, accusative singular of pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus (“public, general”). Morphologically public + -ity.

This word in other languages

publicidad(Español)publicité(Français)Werbung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pbulicity,ppublicity,pubblicity,pubilcity,publciity,publiccity,publicitty,publicityy,publiciyt,publictiy,publiicty,publlicity,pulbicity,upblicity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pbulicity2ppublicity1pubblicity1pubilcity2publciity2publiccity1publicitty1publicityy1
Edit distance from "publicity"

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 "publicity"?
"publicity" is spelled P-U-B-L-I-C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pʌbˈlɪsɪti/.
What does "publicity" mean?
As a noun, "publicity" means: Advertising or other activity designed to rouse public interest in something.
What words are commonly confused with "publicity"?
"publicity" is commonly confused with "publicly", "publicize", "publicist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "publicity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "publicity" is /pʌbˈlɪsɪti/. 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 "publicity"?
From French publicité, From Medieval Latin pūblicitātem, accusative singular of pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus (“public, general”). Morphologically public + -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.

Using “publicity”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-U-B-L-I-C-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pʌbˈlɪsɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “publicly” - see the side-by-side comparison. publicity vs publicly
  • 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