acne

/ˈækni/

//ˈækni// noun

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

"acne" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acne” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #11,830) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#11,830
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-acne · acne · English

acne · rank #11,830 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,830
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accelerate

Nearest frequency peer: accelerate (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “acne”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “acne” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

acne vs an
50% similar
acne vs AE
0% similar
acne vs and
50% similar

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

Key facts for acne
PropertyValue
Headwordacne
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈækni/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,830
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “acne”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).acnelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “accelerate” (#11,829), “advertise” (#11,831), “absorption” (#11,828). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “acne” is #11,830. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for acne is neighbouring look-alikes ("an", "AE", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈækni/. Frequency #11,830 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for acne, with forms such as "accne", "acen", and "acnne". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "an", "AE", "and", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin acnē, probably a corruption of Ancient Greek ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point, top”). The correct English form is acne, spelled A-C-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.
  2. 2
    A pattern of blemishes in an area of skin resulting from the skin condition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He struggled with severe acne during his teenage years.
  2. The dermatologist prescribed a cream to treat her acne.

Etymology

From New Latin acnē, probably a corruption of Ancient Greek ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point, top”).

This word in other languages

acné(Español)acné(Français)Akne(Deutsch)acne(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accne
  • acen
  • acnne
  • ance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acne - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

accne1acen2acnne1ance2
Edit distance from "acne"

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 "acne"?
"acne" is spelled A-C-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈækni/.
What does "acne" mean?
As a noun, "acne" means: A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.
What words are commonly confused with "acne"?
"acne" is commonly confused with "an", "AE", "and". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acne" is /ˈækni/. 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 "acne"?
From New Latin acnē, probably a corruption of Ancient Greek ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point, top”). 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 "acne", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Audi#11,838wong#11,822bulb#11,846chew#11,850

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list