vacancy

/ˈveɪkənsi/

//ˈveɪkənsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“vacancy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,163. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,163
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An unoccupied position or job.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vacancy · vacancy · English

vacancy · rank #12,163 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #12,163
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH underwent

Nearest frequency peer: underwent (-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 “vacancy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vacancy” 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).

vacancy vs vacant
71% similar

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

Key facts for vacancy
PropertyValue
Headwordvacancy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈveɪkənsi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,163
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vacancy”

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).vacancylands 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 “underwent” (#12,162), “VAR” (#12,164), “undermine” (#12,161). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vacancy” is #12,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around vacancy (IPA /ˈveɪkənsi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,163 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for vacancy, with forms such as "avcancy", "vaacncy", and "vacacny". 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, "vacant", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin vacantia. Doublet of vacance. The correct English form is vacancy, spelled V-A-C-A-N-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unoccupied position or job.
  2. 2
    An available room in a hotel; guest house, etc.
  3. 3
    Empty space.
  4. 4
    A blank mind, unoccupied with thought.
  5. 5
    Lack of intelligence or understanding.
  6. 6
    A defect in a crystal caused by the absence of an atom in a lattice

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
  2. Sky was set above earth, land ringed with sea, / Chaos retired to its own vacancy ….

Etymology

From Late Latin vacantia. Doublet of vacance.

This word in other languages

vacante(Español)Vakanz(Deutsch)vaga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avcancy
  • vaacncy
  • vacacny
  • vacanccy
  • vacancyy
  • vacanncy
  • vacanyc
  • vaccancy
  • vacnacy
  • vcaancy
  • vvacancy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

avcancy2vaacncy2vacacny2vacanccy1vacancyy1vacanncy1vacanyc2vaccancy1
Edit distance from "vacancy"

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 "vacancy"?
"vacancy" is spelled V-A-C-A-N-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈveɪkənsi/.
What does "vacancy" mean?
As a noun, "vacancy" means: An unoccupied position or job.
What words are commonly confused with "vacancy"?
"vacancy" is commonly confused with "vacant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vacancy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vacancy" is /ˈveɪkənsi/. 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 "vacancy"?
From Late Latin vacantia. Doublet of vacance. 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 "vacancy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

tasting#12,151statues#12,148staging#12,146Baghdad#12,184

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

ruthless11 variantsrefresh11 variantscharger11 variantsPerkins11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list