annoyance

/əˈnɔɪ.əns/

//əˈnɔɪ.əns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“annoyance” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,755. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,755
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which annoys.

Corpus desk

Index EN-annoyance · annoyance · English

annoyance · rank #18,755 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,755
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alteration

Nearest frequency peer: alteration (-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 “annoyance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “annoyance” 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).

annoyance vs announce
78% similar

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

Key facts for annoyance
PropertyValue
Headwordannoyance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈnɔɪ.əns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,755
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “annoyance”

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).annoyancelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “alteration” (#18,754), “anon” (#18,756), “alba” (#18,753). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “annoyance” is #18,755. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around annoyance (IPA /əˈnɔɪ.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,755 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for annoyance, with forms such as "annoaynce", "annoyacne", and "annoyancce". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "announce", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English anoyaunce (rare form of noyaunce), from Old French anuiance, anoiance, from the verb anuier (“to cause problems”), equivalent to annoy + -ance. Compare French ennui. The correct English form is annoyance, spelled A-N-N-O-Y-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which annoys.
  2. 2
    An act or instance of annoying.
  3. 3
    The psychological state of being annoyed or irritated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Having to wait 45 minutes for the bus is a real annoyance, but it's the only way to get to work.
  2. feeling mild annoyance

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English anoyaunce (rare form of noyaunce), from Old French anuiance, anoiance, from the verb anuier (“to cause problems”), equivalent to annoy + -ance. Compare French ennui.

Synonyms

narkBoyannoyancebotherexasperationfrustrationirritationvexation

This word in other languages

enojo(Español)ennui(Français)Verärgerung(Deutsch)irritação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • annoaynce
  • annoyacne
  • annoyancce
  • annoyanec
  • annoyannce
  • annoyence
  • annoynace
  • annoyyance
  • annyoance
  • anonyance
  • anoyance
  • nanoyance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of annoyance - 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.

annoaynce2annoyacne2annoyancce1annoyanec2annoyannce1annoyence1annoynace2annoyyance1
Edit distance from "annoyance"

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 "annoyance"?
"annoyance" is spelled A-N-N-O-Y-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈnɔɪ.əns/.
What does "annoyance" mean?
As a noun, "annoyance" means: That which annoys.
What words are commonly confused with "annoyance"?
"annoyance" is commonly confused with "announce". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "annoyance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "annoyance" is /əˈnɔɪ.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 "annoyance"?
Inherited from Middle English anoyaunce (rare form of noyaunce), from Old French anuiance, anoiance, from the verb anuier (“to cause problems”), equivalent to annoy + -ance. Compare French ennui. 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 "annoyance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

volcanoes#18,733centrally#18,783Taiwanese#18,713dashboard#18,800

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

blooming12 variantsworldly12 variantsbookings12 variantsvigilant12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list