ambivalence
/æmˈbɪvələns/
"ambivalence" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ambivalence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,859 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #36,859
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings (such as love and hate) towards a person, object or idea.
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 | ambivalence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /æmˈbɪvələns/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #36,859 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ambivalence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ambivalence is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /æmˈbɪvələns/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,859 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for ambivalence, with forms such as "abmivalence", "ambbivalence", and "ambiavlence". 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, "ambivalent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Ambivalenz (“simultaneous conflicting feelings”), from Latin ambi- (“both”) and valentia (“strength”), from the verb valere (“to be strong”) (see valiant); spelled on the model of French-origin words ending in -ence. The German term was… The correct English form is ambivalence, spelled A-M-B-I-V-A-L-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings (such as love and hate) towards a person, object or idea.
- 2A state of uncertainty or indecisiveness.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Ambivalenz (“simultaneous conflicting feelings”), from Latin ambi- (“both”) and valentia (“strength”), from the verb valere (“to be strong”) (see valiant); spelled on the model of French-origin words ending in -ence. The German term was coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910; by 1929, it had taken on a broader literary and general sense. Equivalent to ambi- + valence.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: abmivalence,ambbivalence,ambiavlence,ambivaelnce,ambivalance,ambivalecne,ambivalencce,ambivalenec,ambivalennce,ambivallence,ambivalnece,ambivlaence,ambivvalence,ambvialence,amibvalence,ammbivalence,mabivalence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ambivalence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "ambivalence"?
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Using “ambivalence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-M-B-I-V-A-L-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /æmˈbɪvələns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ambivalent” - see the side-by-side comparison. ambivalence vs ambivalent
- 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.