acquaintance
/əˈkweɪntəns/
"acquaintance" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“acquaintance” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,849 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #13,849
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | acquaintance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈkweɪntəns/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #13,849 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “acquaintance” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for acquaintance is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkweɪntəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,849 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for acquaintance, with forms such as "accquaintance", "acqauintance", and "acqquaintance". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aqueyntaunce, from Anglo-Norman aquaintaunce, aqueintance, Old French acointance (“friendship, familiarity”), from Old French acointier (“to acquaint”). Compare French accointance. Morphologically acquaint + -ance. The correct English form is acquaintance, spelled A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship.
- 2A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
- 3Such people collectively; one's circle of acquaintances (with plural concord).
- 4Personal knowledge (with a specific subject etc.).
Etymology
From Middle English aqueyntaunce, from Anglo-Norman aquaintaunce, aqueintance, Old French acointance (“friendship, familiarity”), from Old French acointier (“to acquaint”). Compare French accointance. Morphologically acquaint + -ance.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: accquaintance,acqauintance,acqquaintance,acquainatnce,acquainntance,acquaintacne,acquaintancce,acquaintanec,acquaintannce,acquaintence,acquaintnace,acquainttance,acquaitnance,acquanitance,acquiantance,acuqaintance,aqcuaintance,caquaintance
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acquaintance - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "acquaintance"?
What does "acquaintance" mean?
What are common misspellings of "acquaintance"?
How do you pronounce "acquaintance"?
What is the origin of the word "acquaintance"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “acquaintance”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈkweɪntəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.