severity

/sɪˈvɛɹɪti/

//sɪˈvɛɹɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“severity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,114. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,114
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-severity · severity · English

severity · rank #11,114 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,114
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Serbia

Nearest frequency peer: Serbia (-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 “severity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “severity” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

severity vs seventy
75% similar
severity vs security
75% similar
severity vs severely
75% similar

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

Key facts for severity
PropertyValue
Headwordseverity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɪˈvɛɹɪti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,114
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “severity”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).severitylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Serbia” (#11,113), “shady” (#11,115), “scum” (#11,112). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “severity” is #11,114. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around severity (IPA /sɪˈvɛɹɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,114 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for severity, with forms such as "esverity", "seevrity", and "seveirty". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "seventy", "security", "severely", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English severity, from Middle French severite (modern French sévérité), from Latin sevēritās. By surface analysis, severe + -ity. The correct English form is severity, spelled S-E-V-E-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being severe.
  2. 2
    The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] the fear of God whereof ' tis written Keeper : But not the fear of punishment for sin And I can see that the uncertainty In which we act is a severity , A cruelty , amounting to injustice That nothing but God's mercy can assuage . […]
  2. The severity of the offence merits a long prison sentence.

Etymology

From Middle English severity, from Middle French severite (modern French sévérité), from Latin sevēritās. By surface analysis, severe + -ity.

Synonyms

severeness

This word in other languages

severidad(Español)sévérité(Français)Härte(Deutsch)gravidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esverity
  • seevrity
  • seveirty
  • severitty
  • severityy
  • severiyt
  • severrity
  • severtiy
  • sevreity
  • sevverity
  • sseverity
  • sveerity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esverity2seevrity2seveirty2severitty1severityy1severiyt2severrity1severtiy2
Edit distance from "severity"

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 "severity"?
"severity" is spelled S-E-V-E-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈvɛɹɪti/.
What does "severity" mean?
As a noun, "severity" means: The state of being severe.
What words are commonly confused with "severity"?
"severity" is commonly confused with "seventy", "security", "severely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "severity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "severity" is /sɪˈvɛɹɪti/. 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 "severity"?
From Middle English severity, from Middle French severite (modern French sévérité), from Latin sevēritās. By surface analysis, severe + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "severity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shutting#11,116sketches#11,117recorder#11,096template#11,132

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

scripts12 variantsrecurring12 variantspredator12 variantsvolcanic12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list