adherence
/ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/
"adherence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“adherence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,474 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,474
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A close physical union of two objects.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | adherence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #18,474 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “adherence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for adherence is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,474 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 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
- 1A close physical union of two objects.
- 2Faithful support for some cause.
- 3An extent to which a patient continues an agreed treatment plan.
- 4The fulfilment of the legal obligation of residing with wife or husband.
Etymology
From Middle French adhérence, from Latin adhærentia.
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "adherence" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "adherence"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “adherence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-H-E-R-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ədˈhɪə.ɹəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “adherent” - see the side-by-side comparison. adherence vs adherent
- 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.