tenacity

/təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/

//təˈnæs.ɪ.ti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tenacity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,232. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,232
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tenacity · tenacity · English

tenacity · rank #25,232 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,232
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tellin

Nearest frequency peer: tellin (-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 “tenacity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tenacity” 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 tenacity
PropertyValue
Headwordtenacity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,232
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tenacity”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tenacitylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tellin” (#25,231), “Tajikistan” (#25,230), “Thurston” (#25,234). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tenacity” is #25,232. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around tenacity (IPA /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,232 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for tenacity, with forms such as "etnacity", "teancity", and "tenaccity". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās. The correct English form is tenacity, spelled T-E-N-A-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
  2. 2
    The quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force, as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
  3. 3
    The effect of this attraction, cohesiveness.
  4. 4
    The quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness, viscosity.
  5. 5
    The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Like the Cuscus of the Moluccas, the Galeopithecus feeds chiefly on leaves, and possesses a very voluminous stomach and long convoluted intestines. The brain is very small, and the animal possesses such remarkable tenacity of life, that it is exceedingly difficult to kill it by any ordinary means.
  2. — Our opponents may be younger, faster and less out of shape than we are, but we have something they’ll never have! — Tenure? — Tenacity!

Etymology

From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās.

Synonyms

tenaciousnessdeterminationpersistencyretentivenessstubbornnesscohesivenessadhesivenessviscosity

Antonyms

brittlenessfragilitymobility

This word in other languages

tenacidad(Español)ténacité(Français)Zähigkeit(Deutsch)tenacidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etnacity
  • teancity
  • tenaccity
  • tenacitty
  • tenacityy
  • tenaciyt
  • tenactiy
  • tenaicty
  • tencaity
  • tennacity
  • tneacity
  • ttenacity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tenacity - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

etnacity2teancity2tenaccity1tenacitty1tenacityy1tenaciyt2tenactiy2tenaicty2
Edit distance from "tenacity"

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 "tenacity"?
"tenacity" is spelled T-E-N-A-C-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/.
What does "tenacity" mean?
As a noun, "tenacity" means: The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
What are common misspellings of "tenacity"?
Common misspellings include "etnacity", "teancity", "tenaccity", "tenacitty", "tenacityy". The correct spelling is "tenacity".
How do you pronounce "tenacity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tenacity" is /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/. 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 "tenacity"?
From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās. 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 "tenacity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Thurston#25,234trespass#25,238Stratton#25,224sparring#25,215

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

unplugged12 variantsvibrator12 variantscampfire12 variantscausation12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list