benefice

/ˈbɛnɪfɪs/

//ˈbɛnɪfɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“benefice” is uncommon English (frequency #64,921 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,921
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Land granted to a priest in a church that has a source of income attached to it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-benefice · benefice · English

benefice · rank #64,921 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,921
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bellwether

Nearest frequency peer: bellwether (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “benefice”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “benefice” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for benefice
PropertyValue
Headwordbenefice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɛnɪfɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#64,921
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “benefice” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “bellwether” (#64,919), “Behring” (#64,917), “Beaujolais” (#64,916). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “benefice” is #64,921. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

benefice is uncommon English at frequency #64,921 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɛnɪfɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for benefice, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French benefice, from Latin beneficium. The correct English form is benefice, spelled B-E-N-E-F-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Land granted to a priest in a church that has a source of income attached to it.
  2. 2
    A favour or benefit.
  3. 3
    An estate in lands; a fief.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If after long expectation, much expense, travel, earnest suit of ourselves and friends, we obtain a small benefice at last, our misery begins afresh […]
  2. She saw how many, even of good men's children, profaned the ministry, […] that she was vehemently against addicting any to that office, that had not, besides good wits and parts, so great a love to God and souls, as to come to it with absolute self-denial, resolved to serve Christ at the dearest rates, and take his acceptance and the winning of souls for…

Etymology

From Old French benefice, from Latin beneficium.

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 "benefice"?
"benefice" is spelled B-E-N-E-F-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛnɪfɪs/.
What does "benefice" mean?
As a noun, "benefice" means: Land granted to a priest in a church that has a source of income attached to it.
How do you pronounce "benefice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "benefice" is /ˈbɛnɪfɪs/. 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 "benefice"?
From Old French benefice, from Latin beneficium. 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 "benefice", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list