sympathetic

/ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/

//ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk// adj

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

"sympathetic" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sympathetic” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,549. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,549
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sympathetic · sympathetic · English

sympathetic · rank #9,549 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,549
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH taxation

Nearest frequency peer: taxation (+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 “sympathetic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sympathetic” 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
Key facts for sympathetic
PropertyValue
Headwordsympathetic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
Letters11
Frequency rank#9,549
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sympathetic”

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).sympatheticlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “taxation” (#9,550), “suburb” (#9,547), “temper” (#9,551). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sympathetic” is #9,549. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around sympathetic (IPA /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,549 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for sympathetic, with forms such as "smypathetic", "ssympathetic", and "symapthetic". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from Latin sympathēticus. By surface analysis, sympathy + -etic (“pertaining to”); compare pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende. The correct English form is sympathetic, spelled S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
  2. 2
    Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
  3. 3
    Attracting the liking of others. (of a person)
  4. 4
    Attracting the liking of others. (of a person)
  5. 5
    Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association.
  6. 6
    Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association.
  7. 7
    Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association.
  8. 8
    Relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves arising from ganglia near the middle part of the spinal cord, supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands, and balancing the action of the parasympathetic nerves.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.
  2. Vaublanc, in San Domingo so sympathetic to the sorrows of labour in France, had to fly from Paris in August, 1792, to escape the wrath of the French workers.

Etymology

Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from Latin sympathēticus. By surface analysis, sympathy + -etic (“pertaining to”); compare pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende.

This word in other languages

compasivo(Español)sympathique(Français)mitfühlend(Deutsch)simpático(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smypathetic
  • ssympathetic
  • symapthetic
  • symmpathetic
  • sympahtetic
  • sympatehtic
  • sympatheitc
  • sympathetci
  • sympatheticc
  • sympathettic
  • sympathhetic
  • sympathteic
  • sympatthetic
  • symppathetic
  • symptahetic
  • sypmathetic
  • syympathetic
  • ysmpathetic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sympathetic - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

smypathetic2ssympathetic1symapthetic2symmpathetic1sympahtetic2sympatehtic2sympatheitc2sympathetci2
Edit distance from "sympathetic"

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 "sympathetic"?
"sympathetic" is spelled S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/.
What does "sympathetic" mean?
As an adjective, "sympathetic" means: Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
What are common misspellings of "sympathetic"?
Common misspellings include "smypathetic", "ssympathetic", "symapthetic", "symmpathetic", "sympahtetic". The correct spelling is "sympathetic".
How do you pronounce "sympathetic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sympathetic" is /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/. 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 "sympathetic"?
Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from Latin sympathēticus. By surface analysis, sympathy + -etic (“pertaining to”); compare pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende. 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 "sympathetic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Southampton#9,542respiratory#9,524possessions#9,511constraints#9,589

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

reproductive18 variantsintentionally18 variantsSpringfield18 variantsdistraction18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list