severity
/səˈvɛɹ.ə.ti/noun
severity is spelled S-E-V-E-R-I-T-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, severity means “The state of being severe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of severity is severities.
How many letters and syllables are in severity?
| Letters | 8: S-E-V-E-R-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is severity?
Severity appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce severity?
- UK /sɪˈvɛɹ.ɪ.ti/
- US /səˈvɛɹ.ə.ti/
Severity has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-severity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with severity?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as severity from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹəti/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of severity
- severities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does severity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being severe.
- 2
The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.
The severity of the offence merits a long prison sentence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Severity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sévérité , gravité |
| Portuguese | gravidade, severidade |
| Spanish | severidad , seriedad, gravedad |
| German | Härte, Stärke, Gewichtung |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does severity come from?
From Middle English severity, from Middle French severite (modern French sévérité), from Latin sevēritās. By surface analysis, severe + -ity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).