responsibility

/ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

//ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"responsibility" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“responsibility” has 22 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,837. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,837
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
22
tracked misspellings

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-responsibility · responsibility · English

responsibility · rank #1,837 · 22 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,837
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 22 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH raise

Nearest frequency peer: raise (-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 “responsibility”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “responsibility” 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
Key facts for responsibility
PropertyValue
Headwordresponsibility
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
Letters14
Frequency rank#1,837
Misspellings tracked22
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “responsibility”

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).responsibilitylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “raise” (#1,836), “roll” (#1,838), “presented” (#1,835). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “responsibility” is #1,837. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 22 spelling variants around responsibility (IPA /ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,837 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 22 likely wrong-spelling variants for responsibility, with forms such as "ersponsibility", "repsonsibility", and "resopnsibility". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From responsible + -ity. Although the components are of French origin, the compound appears to have been formed in English. Later-attested French responsabilité is modeled on the English word, and Italian responsabilità is in turn modeled on the French. The correct English form is responsibility, spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable.
  2. 2
    The state of being liable, culpable, or responsible for something in particular.
  3. 3
    A duty, obligation or liability for which someone is held accountable.
  4. 4
    A duty, obligation or liability for which someone is held accountable.
  5. 5
    A duty, obligation or liability for which someone is held accountable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Responsibility is a heavy burden.
  2. After all, it is undeniable that the B.R. standard coach scored highly in comparative trials with other European railway vehicles on the Continent a few years ago, so that B.R. civil engineers must share responsibility for any defects in its behaviour over here.

Etymology

From responsible + -ity. Although the components are of French origin, the compound appears to have been formed in English. Later-attested French responsabilité is modeled on the English word, and Italian responsabilità is in turn modeled on the French.

Synonyms

responsibleness

This word in other languages

responsabilidad(Español)responsabilité(Français)Verantwortung(Deutsch)responsabilidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ersponsibility
  • repsonsibility
  • resopnsibility
  • respnosibility
  • responisbility
  • responnsibility
  • responsbiility
  • responsibbility
  • responsibiilty
  • responsibilitty
  • responsibilityy
  • responsibiliyt
  • responsibillity
  • responsibiltiy
  • responsibliity
  • responsiiblity
  • responssibility
  • resposnibility
  • respponsibility
  • ressponsibility
  • rresponsibility
  • rseponsibility

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of responsibility - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ersponsibility2repsonsibility2resopnsibility2respnosibility2responisbility2responnsibility1responsbiility2responsibbility1
Edit distance from "responsibility"

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 "responsibility"?
"responsibility" is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/.
What does "responsibility" mean?
As a noun, "responsibility" means: The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable.
What are common misspellings of "responsibility"?
Common misspellings include "ersponsibility", "repsonsibility", "resopnsibility", "respnosibility", "responisbility". The correct spelling is "responsibility".
How do you pronounce "responsibility"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "responsibility" is /ɹɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. 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 "responsibility"?
From responsible + -ity. Although the components are of French origin, the compound appears to have been formed in English. Later-attested French responsabilité is modeled on the English word, and Italian responsabilità is in turn modeled on the F... 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 "responsibility", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

administration#1,240communications#2,521representative#2,642transportation#2,650

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (22 here; floor ≥5).

infrastructure22 variantsrepresentation22 variantsdiscrimination22 variantsimplementation22 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list