worthy

/ˈwɜːði/

//ˈwɜːði// adj

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

"worthy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worthy” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,424. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,424
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having worth, merit, or value.

Corpus desk

Index EN-worthy · worthy · English

worthy · rank #4,424 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,424
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH worship

Nearest frequency peer: worship (-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 “worthy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “worthy” 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).

worthy vs wort
67% similar
worthy vs worth
83% similar
worthy vs worry
67% similar

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

Key facts for worthy
PropertyValue
Headwordworthy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɜːði/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,424
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “worthy”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “worship” (#4,423), “acted” (#4,425), “wore” (#4,422). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “worthy” is #4,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around worthy (IPA /ˈwɜːði/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,424 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for worthy, with forms such as "owrthy", "worhty", and "worrthy". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "wort", "worth", "worry", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugt (“worthy”). The correct English form is worthy, spelled W-O-R-T-H-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having worth, merit, or value.
  2. 2
    Admirable or honourable.
  3. 3
    Deserving, or having sufficient worth.
  4. 4
    Suited; suitable; befitting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These banished men that I have kept withal / Are men endued with worthy qualities
  2. This worthy mind should worthy things embrace.

Etymology

From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugt (“worthy”).

This word in other languages

digno(Español)digne(Français)würdig(Deutsch)digno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrthy
  • worhty
  • worrthy
  • worthhy
  • worthyy
  • wortthy
  • wortyh
  • wotrhy
  • wrothy
  • wworthy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

owrthy2worhty2worrthy1worthhy1worthyy1wortthy1wortyh2wotrhy2
Edit distance from "worthy"

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 "worthy"?
"worthy" is spelled W-O-R-T-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɜːði/.
What does "worthy" mean?
As an adjective, "worthy" means: Having worth, merit, or value.
What words are commonly confused with "worthy"?
"worthy" is commonly confused with "wort", "worth", "worry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worthy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worthy" is /ˈwɜːði/. 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 "worthy"?
From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugt ... 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 "worthy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bloody#4,428timing#4,418tables#4,415counts#4,436

Similar misspelling depth

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

crucial10 variantsrecover10 variantsfeeding10 variantsinvolve10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list