simplicity
/sɪmˈplɪsɪti/noun
simplicity is spelled S-I-M-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, simplicity means “The state or quality of being simple” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of simplicity is simplicities.
How many letters and syllables are in simplicity?
| Letters | 10: S-I-M-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.9 times per million words; the 10,028th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is simplicity?
Simplicity appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th 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 simplicity?
- /sɪmˈplɪsɪti/
Simplicity 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-simplicity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of simplicity
- simplicities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does simplicity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state or quality of being simple
simplicity of dress, of style, or of language
- 2
The quality or state of being unmixed or uncompounded
the simplicity of metals or of earths
- 3
The quality or state of being not complex, or of consisting of few parts.
the simplicity of a machine
- 4
Lack of sharpness of mind; lack of ability to think using complex ideas; stupidity
- 5
Lack of artificial ornament, pretentious style, or luxury; plainness
- 6
Lack of subtlety or abstruseness; clarity
the simplicity of a doctrine
- 7
Lack of complication; efficiency.
- 8
archaicrareAn act or instance of foolishness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Simplicity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | simplicité |
| German | Einfachheit |
| Portuguese | simplicidade |
| Spanish | simplicidad , sencillez, llano |
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 simplicity come from?
From Middle English simplicite, from Old French simplicite, from Latin simplicitās, from simplex (“simple”). See simple. By surface analysis, simple + -icity. Partially displaced native English onefoldness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).