sufficient

/səˈfɪʃənt/

//səˈfɪʃənt// det

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

"sufficient" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sufficient” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,191. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,191
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An adequate quantity of; enough.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sufficient · sufficient · English

sufficient · rank #4,191 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,191
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH submitted

Nearest frequency peer: submitted (-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 “sufficient”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sufficient” 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).

sufficient vs sufficiently
83% similar
sufficient vs sufficiency
82% similar

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

Key facts for sufficient
PropertyValue
Headwordsufficient
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechDeterminer
IPA/səˈfɪʃənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,191
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sufficient”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sufficientlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “submitted” (#4,190), “someone's” (#4,189), “suspended” (#4,193). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sufficient” is #4,191. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around sufficient (IPA /səˈfɪʃənt/), adeterminer. Corpus frequency is #4,191 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for sufficient, with forms such as "sfuficient", "ssufficient", and "suffciient". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "sufficiently", "sufficiency", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French sufisanz, soficient, from Latin sufficiēns, present participle of sufficiō. The correct English form is sufficient, spelled S-U-F-F-I-C-I-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An adequate quantity of; enough.
  2. 2
    A quantity (of something) that is as large as is needed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We have sufficient supplies to last the winter.
  2. There is not sufficient access to the Internet in many small rural villages.

Etymology

From Old French sufisanz, soficient, from Latin sufficiēns, present participle of sufficiō.

This word in other languages

genug(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sfuficient
  • ssufficient
  • suffciient
  • sufficcient
  • sufficeint
  • sufficiennt
  • sufficientt
  • sufficietn
  • sufficinet
  • suffiicent
  • suficient
  • sufifcient
  • usfficient

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sufficient - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

sfuficient2ssufficient1suffciient2sufficcient1sufficeint2sufficiennt1sufficientt1sufficietn2
Edit distance from "sufficient"

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 "sufficient"?
"sufficient" is spelled S-U-F-F-I-C-I-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈfɪʃənt/.
What does "sufficient" mean?
As a determiner, "sufficient" means: An adequate quantity of; enough.
What words are commonly confused with "sufficient"?
"sufficient" is commonly confused with "sufficiently", "sufficiency". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sufficient"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sufficient" is /səˈfɪʃənt/. 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 "sufficient"?
From Old French sufisanz, soficient, from Latin sufficiēns, present participle of sufficiō. 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 "sufficient", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

biological#4,212categories#4,217innovation#4,165concerning#4,221

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

desperate13 variantscomplaint13 variantscenturies13 variantsLawrence13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list