FundéuRAE: “gratuidad,” not “gratuitidad”

FundéuRAE has reminded Spanish speakers that “gratuidad” is the correct noun for the condition of being free, while “gratuitidad” is not considered appropriate.

The language foundation noted that forms such as “la gratuitidad del transporte interurbano” and “la gratuitidad de la aplicación” sometimes appear in the press. It said those phrases should instead use “gratuidad.”

The explanation concerns the formation of nouns from the adjective “gratuito.” Although the suffix “-dad” often becomes “-idad” when added to adjectives longer than two syllables, “gratuito” drops its final syllable in this case. FundéuRAE said this kind of shortening also occurs with other words formed using the “-(i)dad” suffix.

The recommended versions are “la gratuidad del transporte interurbano,” “la gratuidad de la aplicación,” and “la accesibilidad y la gratuidad.” FundéuRAE is promoted by Agencia EFE and the Royal Spanish Academy, and works to encourage accurate Spanish usage in the media.