commence

/kəˈmɛns/

//kəˈmɛns// verb

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

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

The verdict

“commence” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,119. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,119
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To begin, start.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commence · commence · English

commence · rank #13,119 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,119
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coloring

Nearest frequency peer: coloring (-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 “commence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “commence” 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).

commence vs comment
75% similar
commence vs commune
75% similar
commence vs commend
75% similar

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

Key facts for commence
PropertyValue
Headwordcommence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈmɛns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,119
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “commence”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “coloring” (#13,118), “compatibility” (#13,120), “conditional” (#13,121). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “commence” is #13,119. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around commence (IPA /kəˈmɛns/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,119 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for commence, with forms such as "ccommence", "cmomence", and "comemnce". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "comment", "commune", "commend", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English commencen, comencen (also as contracted comsen, cumsen), from Anglo-Norman comencer, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre, formed from Latin com- + initiō (whence English initiate). The correct English form is commence, spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To begin, start.
  2. 2
    To begin, start.
  3. 3
    To begin to be, or to act as.
  4. 4
    To take a degree at a university.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Here the anthem doth commence:
  2. His heaven commences ere the world be past!

Etymology

From Middle English commencen, comencen (also as contracted comsen, cumsen), from Anglo-Norman comencer, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre, formed from Latin com- + initiō (whence English initiate).

Synonyms

begin

Antonyms

stopendceasefinishconcludecomplete

This word in other languages

comenzar(Español)commencer(Français)anfangen(Deutsch)começar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccommence
  • cmomence
  • comemnce
  • comence
  • commance
  • commecne
  • commencce
  • commenec
  • commennce
  • commnece
  • ocmmence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of commence - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccommence1cmomence2comemnce2comence1commance1commecne2commencce1commenec2
Edit distance from "commence"

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 "commence"?
"commence" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɛns/.
What does "commence" mean?
As a verb, "commence" means: To begin, start.
What words are commonly confused with "commence"?
"commence" is commonly confused with "comment", "commune", "commend". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "commence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commence" is /kəˈmɛns/. 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 "commence"?
From Middle English commencen, comencen (also as contracted comsen, cumsen), from Anglo-Norman comencer, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre, formed from Latin com- + initiō (whence English initiate). 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 "commence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

coloring#13,118converts#13,124brutally#13,110crawling#13,128

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

cynical11 variantsbravery11 variantsdisrupt11 variantsBentley11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list