cadence

/ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/

//ˈkeɪ.dn̩s// noun

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

"cadence" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cadence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,691 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#24,691
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act or state of declining or sinking.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cadence vs cayenne
71% similar
cadence vs clarence
75% similar
cadence vs credence
75% similar

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

Key facts for cadence
PropertyValue
Headwordcadence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,691
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cadence” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cadence is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,691 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for cadence, with forms such as "acdence", "cadance", and "caddence". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "cayenne", "clarence", "credence", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza (“conclusion of a phrase of music”), from Latin *cadentia (literally “a falling”), form of cadēns, the present participle of cadō (“I fall, I cease”). The Latin verb is inherited, via Proto-Itali… The correct English form is cadence, spelled C-A-D-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or state of declining or sinking.
  2. 2
    The measure or beat of movement.
  3. 3
    Balanced, rhythmic flow.
  4. 4
    The general inflection or modulation of the voice, or of any sound.
  5. 5
    A progression of at least two chords which conclude a piece of music, section or musical phrases within it. Sometimes referred to analogously as musical punctuation.
  6. 6
    A cadenza, or closing embellishment; a pause before the end of a strain, which the performer may fill with a flight of fancy.
  7. 7
    A fall in inflection of a speaker’s voice, such as at the end of a sentence.
  8. 8
    A dance move which ends a phrase.
  9. 9
    The rhythm and sequence of a series of actions.
  10. 10
    The number of steps per minute.
  11. 11
    The number of revolutions per minute of the cranks or pedals of a bicycle.
  12. 12
    A chant that is sung by military personnel while running or marching; a jody call.
  13. 13
    Cadency.
  14. 14
    Harmony and proportion of movement, as in a well-managed horse.
  15. 15
    The number of strides per second of a racehorse, measured when the same foot/hoof strikes the ground
  16. 16
    The frequency of regular product releases.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza (“conclusion of a phrase of music”), from Latin *cadentia (literally “a falling”), form of cadēns, the present participle of cadō (“I fall, I cease”). The Latin verb is inherited, via Proto-Italic *kadō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱad-e- (“to fall”, thematic present). Doublet of cadenza and chance.

Synonyms

clausula

This word in other languages

cadencia(Español)cadence(Français)Rhythmus(Deutsch)cadência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acdence,cadance,caddence,cadecne,cadencce,cadenec,cadennce,cadnece,caednce,ccadence,cdaence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acdence2cadance1caddence1cadecne2cadencce1cadenec2cadennce1cadnece2
Edit distance from "cadence"

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 "cadence"?
"cadence" is spelled C-A-D-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/.
What does "cadence" mean?
As a noun, "cadence" means: The act or state of declining or sinking.
What words are commonly confused with "cadence"?
"cadence" is commonly confused with "cayenne", "clarence", "credence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cadence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cadence" is /ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/. 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 "cadence"?
Borrowed from Middle French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza (“conclusion of a phrase of music”), from Latin *cadentia (literally “a falling”), form of cadēns, the present participle of cadō (“I fall, I cease”). The Latin verb is inherited, via P... 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.

Using “cadence”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-D-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cayenne” - see the side-by-side comparison. cadence vs cayenne
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list