sympathy
/ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/
"sympathy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sympathy” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,067 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,067
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sympathy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #7,067 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sympathy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for sympathy is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,067 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
- 2A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
- 3A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
- 4Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
- 5Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
- 6Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
- 7An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
- 8An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
- 9An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
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”).
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "sympathy" mean?
What are common misspellings of "sympathy"?
How do you pronounce "sympathy"?
What is the origin of the word "sympathy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “sympathy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.