advance

/ədˈvɑːns/

//ədˈvɑːns// verb

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

"advance" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“advance” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,241. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,241
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To promote or advantage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-advance · advance · English

advance · rank #2,241 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,241
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH actor

Nearest frequency peer: actor (-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 “advance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “advance” 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).

advance vs advice
71% similar
advance vs advanced
88% similar
advance vs advances
88% similar

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

Key facts for advance
PropertyValue
Headwordadvance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ədˈvɑːns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,241
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “advance”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “actor” (#2,240), “apartment” (#2,242), “3rd” (#2,239). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “advance” is #2,241. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around advance (IPA /ədˈvɑːns/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,241 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for advance, with forms such as "adavnce", "addvance", and "advacne". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "advice", "advanced", "advances", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin ab Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti Proto-Italic *anti Latin ante Late Latin ab ante Proto-In… The correct English form is advance, spelled A-D-V-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To promote or advantage.
  2. 2
    To promote or advantage.
  3. 3
    To move forward in space or time.
  4. 4
    To move forward in space or time.
  5. 5
    To move forward in space or time.
  6. 6
    To move forward in space or time.
  7. 7
    To move forward in space or time.
  8. 8
    To move forward in space or time.
  9. 9
    To move forward in space or time.
  10. 10
    To raise, be raised.
  11. 11
    To raise, be raised.
  12. 12
    To raise, be raised.
  13. 13
    To raise, be raised.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some see it as in effect the end of the Syrian uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad’s police state in 2011, with opposition fighters working to advance Turkey’s interests at the expense of the revolution’s goals.
  2. After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin ab Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti Proto-Italic *anti Latin ante Late Latin ab ante Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Vulgar Latin *abanteāre Old French avancierbor. Middle English avauncen English advance From Middle English avauncen, avancen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman avauncier, from Vulgar Latin *abanteāre, from Late Latin ab ante, from Latin ab + ante (“before”). ⟨d⟩ added in analogy to Latin ad- (cf. Middle French advancer). Compare avaunt.

Synonyms

improveassign

Antonyms

regressretractretreat

This word in other languages

avanzar(Español)avancer(Français)vorantreiben(Deutsch)avançar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adavnce
  • addvance
  • advacne
  • advancce
  • advanec
  • advannce
  • advence
  • advnace
  • advvance
  • avdance
  • davance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adavnce2addvance1advacne2advancce1advanec2advannce1advence1advnace2
Edit distance from "advance"

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 "advance"?
"advance" is spelled A-D-V-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ədˈvɑːns/.
What does "advance" mean?
As a verb, "advance" means: To promote or advantage.
What words are commonly confused with "advance"?
"advance" is commonly confused with "advice", "advanced", "advances". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "advance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "advance" is /ədˈvɑːns/. 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 "advance"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin ab Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti Proto-Italic *anti Latin ante Late Latin ab ant... 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 "advance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

YouTube#2,238chapter#2,245streets#2,233finance#2,252

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

sharing11 variantsperform11 variantspayment11 variantskitchen11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list