adherence

/ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/

//ədˈhɪə.ɹəns// noun

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

"adherence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adherence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,474. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,474
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A close physical union of two objects.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adherence · adherence · English

adherence · rank #18,474 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,474
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH acidic

Nearest frequency peer: acidic (-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 “adherence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “adherence” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

adherence vs adherent
78% similar

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

Key facts for adherence
PropertyValue
Headwordadherence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,474
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adherence”

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).adherencelands 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 “acidic” (#18,473), “adjective” (#18,475), “academies” (#18,472). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adherence” is #18,474. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around adherence (IPA /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,474 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for adherence, with forms such as "addherence", "adehrence", and "adheernce". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "adherent", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French adhérence, from Latin adhærentia. The correct English form is adherence, spelled A-D-H-E-R-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A close physical union of two objects.
  2. 2
    Faithful support for some cause.
  3. 3
    An extent to which a patient continues an agreed treatment plan.
  4. 4
    The fulfilment of the legal obligation of residing with wife or husband.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Strict adherence to the rules is required.
  2. The project failed because of poor adherence to deadlines.

Etymology

From Middle French adhérence, from Latin adhærentia.

This word in other languages

adhesión(Español)adhésion(Français)Unterstützung(Deutsch)aderência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addherence
  • adehrence
  • adheernce
  • adherance
  • adherecne
  • adherencce
  • adherenec
  • adherennce
  • adhernece
  • adherrence
  • adhherence
  • adhreence
  • ahderence
  • daherence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adherence - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

addherence1adehrence2adheernce2adherance1adherecne2adherencce1adherenec2adherennce1
Edit distance from "adherence"

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 "adherence"?
"adherence" is spelled A-D-H-E-R-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/.
What does "adherence" mean?
As a noun, "adherence" means: A close physical union of two objects.
What words are commonly confused with "adherence"?
"adherence" is commonly confused with "adherent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adherence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adherence" is /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/. 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 "adherence"?
From Middle French adhérence, from Latin adhærentia. 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 "adherence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

adjective#18,475academies#18,472appellate#18,483approving#18,484

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

ascension14 variantsunilateral14 variantsbestseller14 variantscapitalize14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list