abeyance

/əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/

//əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s// noun

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

"abeyance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abeyance” is uncommon English (frequency #61,937 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,937
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expectancy; a condition when an ownership of real property is undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abeyance · abeyance · English

abeyance · rank #61,937 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,937
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aby

Nearest frequency peer: aby (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “abeyance”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “abeyance” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for abeyance
PropertyValue
Headwordabeyance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/
Letters8
Frequency rank#61,937
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “abeyance” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).abeyancefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “aby” (#61,938), “addressable” (#61,942), “Adlai” (#61,943). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abeyance” is #61,937. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abeyance is uncommon English at frequency #61,937 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for abeyance, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1528. From Anglo-Norman abeiance (“legal expectation”), from Old French abeance (“desire”) from abeër (“to gape at, aspire after”), abaer, abair (“to desire”), from a (“to”) + baër (“to gape”), bair (“yawn”), from Medieval Latin batō (“to … The correct English form is abeyance, spelled A-B-E-Y-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expectancy; a condition when an ownership of real property is undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title.
  2. 2
    Suspension; temporary suppression; dormant condition.
  3. 3
    Expectancy of a noble or armigeral title, its right in existence but its exercise suspended.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The proceeds of the estate shall be held in abeyance in an escrow account until the minor reaches age twenty-one.
  2. Yet sometimes the fee may be in abeyance, that is (as the word signifies) in expectation, remembrance, and contemplation in law; there being no person in esse, in whom it can vest and abide […]

Etymology

First attested in 1528. From Anglo-Norman abeiance (“legal expectation”), from Old French abeance (“desire”) from abeër (“to gape at, aspire after”), abaer, abair (“to desire”), from a (“to”) + baër (“to gape”), bair (“yawn”), from Medieval Latin batō (“to yawn”).

This word in other languages

expectativa(Español)vacance(Français)Schwebezustand(Deutsch)pendência(Português)

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 "abeyance"?
"abeyance" is spelled A-B-E-Y-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/.
What does "abeyance" mean?
As a noun, "abeyance" means: Expectancy; a condition when an ownership of real property is undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title.
How do you pronounce "abeyance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abeyance" is /əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/. 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 "abeyance"?
First attested in 1528. From Anglo-Norman abeiance (“legal expectation”), from Old French abeance (“desire”) from abeër (“to gape at, aspire after”), abaer, abair (“to desire”), from a (“to”) + baër (“to gape”), bair (“yawn”), from Medieval Latin ... 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 "abeyance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

alacrity#61,950Anderton#61,955apologia#61,960wayfarer#61,904

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list