alliance

/əˈlaɪ.əns/

//əˈlaɪ.əns// noun

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

"alliance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alliance” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,598. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,598
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being allied.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alliance · alliance · English

alliance · rank #3,598 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,598
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Alexander

Nearest frequency peer: Alexander (-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 “alliance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alliance” 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).

alliance vs ambiance
75% similar
alliance vs allowance
78% similar
alliance vs appliance
78% similar

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

Key facts for alliance
PropertyValue
Headwordalliance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈlaɪ.əns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,598
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alliance”

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).alliancelands 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 “Alexander” (#3,597), “annoying” (#3,599), “AP” (#3,600). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alliance” is #3,598. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around alliance (IPA /əˈlaɪ.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,598 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for alliance, with forms such as "aliance", "alilance", and "allaince". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "ambiance", "allowance", "appliance", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English alliaunce, from Old French aliance (French alliance). Equivalent to ally + -ance. Compare with Doric Greek ἁλία (halía, “assembly”). The correct English form is alliance, spelled A-L-L-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being allied.
  2. 2
    The act of allying or uniting.
  3. 3
    A union or connection of interests between families, states, parties, etc., especially between families by marriage and states by compact, treaty, or league.
  4. 4
    A union or connection of interests between families, states, parties, etc., especially between families by marriage and states by compact, treaty, or league.
  5. 5
    Any union resembling that of families or states; union by relationship in qualities; affinity.
  6. 6
    The persons or parties allied.
  7. 7
    Synonym of cohort (“group of orders of organisms”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. matrimonial alliances
  2. an alliance between church and state, or between two countries

Etymology

From Middle English alliaunce, from Old French aliance (French alliance). Equivalent to ally + -ance. Compare with Doric Greek ἁλία (halía, “assembly”).

Synonyms

connectionaffinityunionallyshipunioncoalitionleagueconfederationteam

This word in other languages

alianza(Español)alliance(Français)Allianz(Deutsch)aliança(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aliance
  • alilance
  • allaince
  • alliacne
  • alliancce
  • allianec
  • alliannce
  • allience
  • allinace
  • laliance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aliance1alilance2allaince2alliacne2alliancce1allianec2alliannce1allience1
Edit distance from "alliance"

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 "alliance"?
"alliance" is spelled A-L-L-I-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlaɪ.əns/.
What does "alliance" mean?
As a noun, "alliance" means: The state of being allied.
What words are commonly confused with "alliance"?
"alliance" is commonly confused with "ambiance", "allowance", "appliance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alliance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alliance" is /əˈlaɪ.əns/. 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 "alliance"?
From Middle English alliaunce, from Old French aliance (French alliance). Equivalent to ally + -ance. Compare with Doric Greek ἁλία (halía, “assembly”). 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 "alliance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

annoying#3,599acquired#3,595Columbia#3,607priority#3,577

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

whereas10 variantsreaders10 variantsdecline10 variantsMexican10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list