Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell sympathy

Sympathy is spelled S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-Y.

What it means: Sharing the feelings of others, especially sorrow.

In a sentence: She showed sympathy by hugging her friend when he was sad. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: sympathetic, sympathetically, empathy, compassion, condolences. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Sympathy” comes from Greek roots meaning “feeling with,” from syn- (“together, with”) and pathos (“feeling, suffering”). It is closely related to “empathy,” which literally means “feeling in” and often suggests an even deeper emotional understanding.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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