universality

/ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti/

//ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti// noun

"universality" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“universality” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,494 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#40,494
frequency rank, English
12
letters
18
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - the property of being universal, common to all members of a class

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

universality vs university
83% similar
universality vs universally
83% similar
universality vs universalist
83% similar

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

Key facts for universality
PropertyValue
Headworduniversality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti/
Letters12
Frequency rank#40,494
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “universality” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for universality is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,494 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "the property of being universal, common to all members of a class".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for universality, with forms such as "nuiversality", "uinversality", and "unievrsality". 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. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "university", "universally", "universalist", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English universalite, from Middle French universalité, from Old French, from Late Latin universalitas. By surface analysis, universal + -ity. The correct English form is universality, spelled U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    the property of being universal, common to all members of a class

Etymology

From Middle English universalite, from Middle French universalité, from Old French, from Late Latin universalitas. By surface analysis, universal + -ity.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nuiversality,uinversality,unievrsality,univeraslity,univerrsality,universailty,universalitty,universalityy,universaliyt,universallity,universaltiy,universlaity,universsality,univesrality,univresality,univversality,unniversality,unviersality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuiversality2uinversality2unievrsality2univeraslity2univerrsality1universailty2universalitty1universalityy1
Edit distance from "universality"

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 "universality"?
"universality" is spelled U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti/.
What does "universality" mean?
As a noun, "universality" means: the property of being universal, common to all members of a class
What words are commonly confused with "universality"?
"universality" is commonly confused with "university", "universally", "universalist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "universality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "universality" is /ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.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 "universality"?
From Middle English universalite, from Middle French universalité, from Old French, from Late Latin universalitas. By surface analysis, universal + -ity. 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.

Using “universality”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌjuː.nɪ.vɜːˈsæl.ə.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “university” - see the side-by-side comparison. universality vs university
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list