appliance

/əˈplaɪ.əns/

//əˈplaɪ.əns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“appliance” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,239. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,239
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially

Corpus desk

Index EN-appliance · appliance · English

appliance · rank #18,239 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,239
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH annuity

Nearest frequency peer: annuity (-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 “appliance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “appliance” 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).

appliance vs alliance
78% similar

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

Key facts for appliance
PropertyValue
Headwordappliance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈplaɪ.əns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,239
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “appliance”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).appliancelands 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 “annuity” (#18,238), “aroused” (#18,240), “Angie” (#18,237). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “appliance” is #18,239. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around appliance (IPA /əˈplaɪ.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,239 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for appliance, with forms such as "apliance", "aplpiance", and "appilance". 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, "alliance", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since the 1560s. From the English apply + -ance. The correct English form is appliance, spelled A-P-P-L-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially
  2. 2
    An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially:
  3. 3
    An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially:
  4. 4
    The act of applying.
  5. 5
    A means of eliminating or counteracting something undesirable, especially an illness.
  6. 6
    Willing service, willingness to act as someone wishes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude; And in the calmest and most stillest night, With all appliances and means to boot, Deny it to a king?
  2. “[…] Oh, the pipe! won’t you have it lit again, father?” said Eppie, lifting that medicinal appliance from the ground.

Etymology

Recorded since the 1560s. From the English apply + -ance.

This word in other languages

electrodoméstico(Español)appareil(Français)Gerät(Deutsch)aparelho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apliance
  • aplpiance
  • appilance
  • applaince
  • appliacne
  • appliancce
  • applianec
  • appliannce
  • applience
  • applinace
  • applliance
  • papliance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apliance1aplpiance2appilance2applaince2appliacne2appliancce1applianec2appliannce1
Edit distance from "appliance"

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 "appliance"?
"appliance" is spelled A-P-P-L-I-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈplaɪ.əns/.
What does "appliance" mean?
As a noun, "appliance" means: An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially
What words are commonly confused with "appliance"?
"appliance" is commonly confused with "alliance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appliance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appliance" is /əˈplaɪ.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 "appliance"?
Recorded since the 1560s. From the English apply + -ance. 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 "appliance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

asserting#18,241biologist#18,249Byzantine#18,260Catalonia#18,265

Similar misspelling depth

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

wildfire12 variantsbreaches12 variantsweaponry12 variantsunfairly12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list