sympathy

/ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/

//ˈsɪm.pəθ.i// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sympathy” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,067. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,067
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sympathy · sympathy · English

sympathy · rank #7,067 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,067
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH struggled

Nearest frequency peer: struggled (-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 “sympathy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sympathy” 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 sympathy
PropertyValue
Headwordsympathy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,067
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sympathy”

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).sympathylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “struggled” (#7,066), “tan” (#7,068), “stark” (#7,065). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sympathy” is #7,067. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sympathy (IPA /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,067 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sympathy, with forms such as "smypathy", "ssympathy", and "symapthy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, … The correct English form is sympathy, spelled S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  2. 2
    A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  3. 3
    A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  4. 4
    Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
  5. 5
    Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
  6. 6
    Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
  7. 7
    An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
  8. 8
    An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
  9. 9
    An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If you want sympathy you’ll find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. Sympathy may pay well in the short term, but if you cash in on sympathy, it will take everything from you in the long run.
  2. And all told, Trump’s second term has actually led to the most sympathy for migrants on record in the 21st century, per Gallup. Fully 79% of Americans now say immigration is a “good thing,” compared with 64% last year.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-y”, nominal suffix). Equivalent to sym- (“acting or considered together”) + -pathy (“feeling”).

Antonyms

apathyantipathycontemptdissympathy

This word in other languages

compasión(Español)compassion(Français)Mitleid(Deutsch)compaixão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smypathy
  • ssympathy
  • symapthy
  • symmpathy
  • sympahty
  • sympathhy
  • sympathyy
  • sympatthy
  • sympatyh
  • symppathy
  • symptahy
  • sypmathy
  • syympathy
  • ysmpathy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sympathy - 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.

smypathy2ssympathy1symapthy2symmpathy1sympahty2sympathhy1sympathyy1sympatthy1
Edit distance from "sympathy"

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 "sympathy"?
"sympathy" is spelled S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/.
What does "sympathy" mean?
As a noun, "sympathy" means: A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
What are common misspellings of "sympathy"?
Common misspellings include "smypathy", "ssympathy", "symapthy", "symmpathy", "sympahty". The correct spelling is "sympathy".
How do you pronounce "sympathy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sympathy" is /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/. 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 "sympathy"?
Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + ... 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 "sympathy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

smallest#7,063secretly#7,056musician#7,032defended#7,118

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

voluntary14 variantsreporters14 variantsprivately14 variantsprecision14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list