acquaintance

/əˈkweɪntəns/

//əˈkweɪntəns// noun

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

"acquaintance" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acquaintance” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,849. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,849
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-acquaintance · acquaintance · English

acquaintance · rank #13,849 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,849
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aires

Nearest frequency peer: aires (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “acquaintance”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “acquaintance” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for acquaintance
PropertyValue
Headwordacquaintance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈkweɪntəns/
Letters12
Frequency rank#13,849
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “acquaintance”

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).acquaintancelands 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 “aires” (#13,850), “Zack” (#13,846), “ambush” (#13,852). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “acquaintance” is #13,849. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around acquaintance (IPA /əˈkweɪntəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,849 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    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.
  2. 2
    A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
  3. 3
    Such people collectively; one's circle of acquaintances (with plural concord).
  4. 4
    Personal knowledge (with a specific subject etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.
  2. Contract no friendſhip, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man : he reſembles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.

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.

Synonyms

familiarityfellowshipintimacyknowledgeacquaintancekith

This word in other languages

amistad(Español)relation(Français)Bekanntschaft(Deutsch)familiaridade(Português)

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.

accquaintance1acqauintance2acqquaintance1acquainatnce2acquainntance1acquaintacne2acquaintancce1acquaintanec2
Edit distance from "acquaintance"

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"?
"acquaintance" is spelled A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkweɪntəns/.
What does "acquaintance" mean?
As a noun, "acquaintance" means: 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.
What are common misspellings of "acquaintance"?
Common misspellings include "accquaintance", "acqauintance", "acqquaintance", "acquainatnce", "acquainntance". The correct spelling is "acquaintance".
How do you pronounce "acquaintance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acquaintance" is /əˈkweɪntəns/. 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 "acquaintance"?
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. 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 "acquaintance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

demographics#13,696connectivity#13,690chemotherapy#13,680spirituality#14,028

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

convertible18 variantsinterrogation18 variantsobstruction18 variantsaccreditation18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list