security

/sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti/

//sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti// noun

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

"security" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“security” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #641 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#641
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The condition of not being threatened, especially physically, psychologically, emotionally, or financially.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

security vs severity
75% similar
security vs securing
75% similar
security vs securely
75% similar

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

Key facts for security
PropertyValue
Headwordsecurity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#641
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “security” 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). security 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 security is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #641 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for security, with forms such as "escurity", "sceurity", and "seccurity". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "severity", "securing", "securely", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From secure + -ity, from Middle English securite, from Middle French securité (modern sécurité), from Latin sēcūritās, from Latin sēcūrus (“safe, secure”), from sē- (“without”) + cūra (“care”); see cure. Similar to Latin sine cūrā (“without care, carefree”)… The correct English form is security, spelled S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of not being threatened, especially physically, psychologically, emotionally, or financially.
  2. 2
    Something that secures.
  3. 3
    An organization or department responsible for providing security by enforcing laws, rules, and regulations as well as maintaining order.
  4. 4
    Something that secures the fulfillment of an obligation or law.
  5. 5
    Freedom from apprehension.
  6. 6
    A tradeable financial asset, such as a share of stock or any of various classes of bond.ᵂ
  7. 7
    Proof of ownership of stocks, bonds or other investment instruments.
  8. 8
    Property etc. temporarily relinquished to guarantee repayment of a loan.
  9. 9
    A guarantee.
  10. 10
    Carelessness; negligence.

Etymology

From secure + -ity, from Middle English securite, from Middle French securité (modern sécurité), from Latin sēcūritās, from Latin sēcūrus (“safe, secure”), from sē- (“without”) + cūra (“care”); see cure. Similar to Latin sine cūrā (“without care, carefree”), which led to English sinecure. Doublet of surety.

Synonyms

safetyprotectionguaranteesuretypledgesecurity

Antonyms

insecurity

This word in other languages

seguridad(Español)sécurité(Français)Sicherheit(Deutsch)segurança(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: escurity,sceurity,seccurity,secruity,secuirty,securitty,securityy,securiyt,securrity,securtiy,seucrity,ssecurity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

escurity2sceurity2seccurity1secruity2secuirty2securitty1securityy1securiyt2
Edit distance from "security"

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 "security"?
"security" is spelled S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti/.
What does "security" mean?
As a noun, "security" means: The condition of not being threatened, especially physically, psychologically, emotionally, or financially.
What words are commonly confused with "security"?
"security" is commonly confused with "severity", "securing", "securely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "security"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "security" is /sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.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 "security"?
From secure + -ity, from Middle English securite, from Middle French securité (modern sécurité), from Latin sēcūritās, from Latin sēcūrus (“safe, secure”), from sē- (“without”) + cūra (“care”); see cure. Similar to Latin sine cūrā (“without care, ... 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 “security”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɪˈkjʊə.ɹə.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “severity” - see the side-by-side comparison. security vs severity
  • 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