Correctness

How to spell correctness

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce correctness

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does correctness mean?

1. nounThe quality of being accurate, free from error, or in conformity with an accepted standard.

Correctness in a sentence

• The auditor checked the figures for correctness before signing off.

• Grammatical correctness matters when the report goes to clients.

Where does correctness come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb corrigere, meaning 'to set right' or 'to make straight', which was built from the prefix com- (used here as an intensive, suggesting 'thoroughly') and regere, 'to guide, rule, or keep straight'. The past participle correctus gave English the adjective 'correct' by way of Old French and direct Latin borrowing in the 1500s, first in the sense of something amended or set right. The abstract noun 'correctness', describing the quality or state of being correct, was then formed in English simply by attaching the native suffix -ness, a process that became common in the 1600s. The same regere root underlies a family of familiar words such as 'direct', 'regent', and 'rectangle', all carrying the idea of straightness or ruling. The spelling trap lies in the doubled c and the unstressed final syllable, where -ness can blur in the ear but stays steady on the page.

How the word is built

• cor- (from com-: together, intensive)
• rect (from regere: to guide straight, to rule)
• -ness (noun suffix forming a state or quality)