symphony

/ˈsɪm.fə.ni/

//ˈsɪm.fə.ni// noun

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

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

The verdict

“symphony” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,140. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,140
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra.

Corpus desk

Index EN-symphony · symphony · English

symphony · rank #10,140 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #10,140
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sustainability

Nearest frequency peer: sustainability (-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 “symphony”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “symphony” 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).

symphony vs symphonic
78% similar

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

Key facts for symphony
PropertyValue
Headwordsymphony
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪm.fə.ni/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,140
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “symphony”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).symphonylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sustainability” (#10,139), “tesla” (#10,141), “Surrey” (#10,138). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “symphony” is #10,140. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around symphony (IPA /ˈsɪm.fə.ni/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,140 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for symphony, with forms such as "smyphony", "ssymphony", and "symhpony". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "symphonic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English symphonye, from Old French simphonie, from Latin symphonia, from Ancient Greek συμφωνία (sumphōnía). By surface analysis, sym- + -phony. Doublet of sinfonia, symphonia, tsampouna, and zampogna. The correct English form is symphony, spelled S-Y-M-P-H-O-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra.
  2. 2
    An instrumental introduction or termination to a vocal composition.
  3. 3
    Harmony in music or colour, or a harmonious combination of elements.
  4. 4
    A symphony orchestra.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. classical symphony
  2. compose a symphony

Etymology

From Middle English symphonye, from Old French simphonie, from Latin symphonia, from Ancient Greek συμφωνία (sumphōnía). By surface analysis, sym- + -phony. Doublet of sinfonia, symphonia, tsampouna, and zampogna.

This word in other languages

sinfonía(Español)symphonie(Français)Sinfonie(Deutsch)sinfonia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smyphony
  • ssymphony
  • symhpony
  • symmphony
  • symphhony
  • symphnoy
  • symphonny
  • symphonyy
  • symphoyn
  • sympohny
  • sympphony
  • sypmhony
  • syymphony
  • ysmphony

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

smyphony2ssymphony1symhpony2symmphony1symphhony1symphnoy2symphonny1symphonyy1
Edit distance from "symphony"

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 "symphony"?
"symphony" is spelled S-Y-M-P-H-O-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪm.fə.ni/.
What does "symphony" mean?
As a noun, "symphony" means: An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra.
What words are commonly confused with "symphony"?
"symphony" is commonly confused with "symphonic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "symphony"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "symphony" is /ˈsɪm.fə.ni/. 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 "symphony"?
From Middle English symphonye, from Old French simphonie, from Latin symphonia, from Ancient Greek συμφωνία (sumphōnía). By surface analysis, sym- + -phony. Doublet of sinfonia, symphonia, tsampouna, and zampogna. 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 "symphony", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

textbook#10,142activate#10,159rotating#10,120repaired#10,119

Similar misspelling depth

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

specimens14 variantswelcoming14 variantsScripture14 variantspresenter14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list