competence

/ˈkɒm.pə.təns/

//ˈkɒm.pə.təns// noun

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

"competence" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“competence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,307. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,307
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.

Corpus desk

Index EN-competence · competence · English

competence · rank #13,307 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,307
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH columnist

Nearest frequency peer: columnist (-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 “competence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “competence” 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).

competence vs competent
80% similar
competence vs competency
90% similar

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

Key facts for competence
PropertyValue
Headwordcompetence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒm.pə.təns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,307
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “competence”

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).competencelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “columnist” (#13,306), “condolences” (#13,308), “coded” (#13,305). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “competence” is #13,307. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around competence (IPA /ˈkɒm.pə.təns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,307 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for competence, with forms such as "ccompetence", "cmopetence", and "comeptence". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "competent", "competency", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French compétence, from Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competency. The correct English form is competence, spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
  2. 2
    The quality or state of being able or suitable for a particular task; the quality or state of being competent for a particular task or skill.
  3. 3
    The system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, as opposed to its actual use in concrete situations (performance), cf. linguistic competence.
  4. 4
    A sustainable income.
  5. 5
    the legal authority to deal with a matter.
  6. 6
    The degree to which a rock is resistant to deformation or flow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Teachers are now required to teach intercultural communicative competence.
  2. Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, / Lie in three words — health, peace, and competence.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French compétence, from Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competency.

Synonyms

abilitycompetencynoussavoir-faireknackaptitude

Antonyms

inabilityineptitudeincompetence

This word in other languages

competencia(Español)compétence(Français)Kompetenz(Deutsch)competência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompetence
  • cmopetence
  • comeptence
  • commpetence
  • compeetnce
  • competance
  • competecne
  • competencce
  • competenec
  • competennce
  • competnece
  • compettence
  • comppetence
  • compteence
  • copmetence
  • ocmpetence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccompetence1cmopetence2comeptence2commpetence1compeetnce2competance1competecne2competencce1
Edit distance from "competence"

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 "competence"?
"competence" is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒm.pə.təns/.
What does "competence" mean?
As a noun, "competence" means: The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
What words are commonly confused with "competence"?
"competence" is commonly confused with "competent", "competency". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "competence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "competence" is /ˈkɒm.pə.təns/. 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 "competence"?
Borrowed from Middle French compétence, from Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competency. 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 "competence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contacting#13,311contagious#13,312discounted#13,322adolescent#13,277

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

transmitter16 variantssuperiority16 variantsprecautions16 variantsperiodically16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list