utility

/juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/

//juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"utility" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“utility” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,564. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,564
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-utility · utility · English

utility · rank #4,564 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,564
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH tune

Nearest frequency peer: tune (-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 “utility”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “utility” 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).

utility vs utilize
71% similar
utility vs utilise
71% similar

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

Key facts for utility
PropertyValue
Headwordutility
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,564
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “utility”

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).utilitylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “tune” (#4,563), “vessel” (#4,565), “treating” (#4,562). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “utility” is #4,564. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around utility (IPA /juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,564 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for utility, with forms such as "tuility", "uitlity", and "utiilty". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "utilize", "utilise", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity. The correct English form is utility, spelled U-T-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
  2. 2
    Something that is useful.
  3. 3
    The ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants; the satisfaction experienced by the consumer of that commodity.
  4. 4
    Well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness.
  5. 5
    A commodity or service provided on a continuous basis by a physical infrastructure network, such as electricity, water supply or sewerage.
  6. 6
    A natural or legal monopoly distributer of such a utility; or, the securities of such a provider.
  7. 7
    A software program other than a game; one that is useful or creative rather than merely entertaining.
  8. 8
    A software program designed to perform a single task or a small range of tasks, often to help manage and tune computer hardware, an operating system, or application software.
  9. 9
    The ability to play multiple positions.
  10. 10
    A coupé utility, or ute; an automobile with an open tray or bed behind the passenger cabin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "The profession has its utility, but I should be sorry to see any friend of mine belonging to it."
  2. Undoubtedly it can be said that the humble 0-6-0 has been the backbone for general service, or general utility on British railways right from their earliest days, and is likely to remain so.

Etymology

From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity.

Synonyms

utilityvalueusefulness

Antonyms

disutilityinutility

This word in other languages

utilidad(Español)utilité(Français)Nützlichkeit(Deutsch)utilidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tuility
  • uitlity
  • utiilty
  • utilitty
  • utilityy
  • utiliyt
  • utillity
  • utiltiy
  • utliity
  • uttility

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tuility2uitlity2utiilty2utilitty1utilityy1utiliyt2utillity1utiltiy2
Edit distance from "utility"

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 "utility"?
"utility" is spelled U-T-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/.
What does "utility" mean?
As a noun, "utility" means: The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
What words are commonly confused with "utility"?
"utility" is commonly confused with "utilize", "utilise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "utility"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "utility" is /juːˈtɪl.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 "utility"?
From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "utility", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Alabama#4,571shocked#4,553borders#4,580breathe#4,581

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

addressed10 variantsparallel10 variantsCameron10 variantsignored10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list