senility

/səˈnɪlɪti/

//səˈnɪlɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“senility” is uncommon English (frequency #73,619 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,619
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.

Key facts for senility
PropertyValue
Headwordsenility
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈnɪlɪti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#73,619
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “senility” 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). senility lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

senility is uncommon English at frequency #73,619 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /səˈnɪlɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

senility doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From senile + -ity. The correct English form is senility, spelled S-E-N-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.
  2. 2
    The losing of memory and reason due to senescence.
  3. 3
    An elderly, senile person.

Etymology

From senile + -ity.

This word in other languages

senilidad(Español)sénilité(Français)Senilität(Deutsch)

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 "senility"?
"senility" is spelled S-E-N-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈnɪlɪti/.
What does "senility" mean?
As a noun, "senility" means: The bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.
How do you pronounce "senility"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "senility" is /səˈnɪlɪti/. 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 "senility"?
From senile + -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 “senility”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-N-I-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈnɪlɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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