authority

\ɔːˈθɒɹəti\

/\ɔːˈθɒɹəti\/ noun

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

The verdict

“authority” has 13 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #36,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,260
frequency rank, French
424,905
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Autorité, capacité de faire respecter les règles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

authority vs autorité
78% similar

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

Key facts for authority
PropertyValue
Headwordauthority
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔːˈθɒɹəti\
Letters9
Frequency rank#36,260
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “authority” sits in French 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). authority lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around authority (IPA \ɔːˈθɒɹəti\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,260 among 424,905 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for authority, with forms such as "atuhority", "auhtority", and "authhority". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "autorité", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is authority, spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Autorité, capacité de faire respecter les règles.
  2. 2
    Responsables (authorities).
  3. 3
    Autorité, source d'information fiable sur un sujet.
  4. 4
    Agence gouvernementale qui gère une activité lucrative.
  5. 5
    Autorisation, permission légale ou droit de faire quelque chose.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atuhority
  • auhtority
  • authhority
  • authoirty
  • authoritty
  • authorityy
  • authoriyt
  • authorrity
  • authortiy
  • authroity
  • autohrity
  • autthority
  • uathority

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atuhority2auhtority2authhority1authoirty2authoritty1authorityy1authoriyt2authorrity1
Edit distance from "authority"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "authority"?
"authority" is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔːˈθɒɹəti\.
What does "authority" mean?
As a noun, "authority" means: Autorité, capacité de faire respecter les règles.
What words are commonly confused with "authority"?
"authority" is commonly confused with "autorité". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "authority"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "authority" is \ɔːˈθɒɹəti\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "authority" come from?
"authority" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “authority”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɔːˈθɒɹəti\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “autorité” - see the side-by-side comparison. authority vs autorité
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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