condolence

/kənˈdoʊləns/

//kənˈdoʊləns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“condolence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,861
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Comfort, support or sympathy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-condolence · condolence · English

condolence · rank #37,861 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #37,861
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH colonize

Nearest frequency peer: colonize (-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 “condolence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “condolence” 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).

condolence vs condolences
91% similar

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

Key facts for condolence
PropertyValue
Headwordcondolence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈdoʊləns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#37,861
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “condolence”

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).condolencelands 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 “colonize” (#37,860), “conjugated” (#37,862), “collarbone” (#37,859). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “condolence” is #37,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around condolence (IPA /kənˈdoʊləns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,861 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for condolence, with forms such as "ccondolence", "cnodolence", and "codnolence". 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, "condolences", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From condole + -ence, or from Middle French condoléance, or formed from the root of Latin condoleō (“I sympathize”), from con- (“together, with”) and doleō (“I hurt, suffer, have pain”). The correct English form is condolence, spelled C-O-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Comfort, support or sympathy.
  2. 2
    An expression of comfort, support, or sympathy offered to the family and friends of somebody who has died.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was not much to do after the accident but offer what condolence I could.
  2. I sent her a card expressing my condolences after her mother passed away.

Etymology

From condole + -ence, or from Middle French condoléance, or formed from the root of Latin condoleō (“I sympathize”), from con- (“together, with”) and doleō (“I hurt, suffer, have pain”).

This word in other languages

pésame(Español)réconfort(Français)Beileid(Deutsch)condolência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccondolence
  • cnodolence
  • codnolence
  • conddolence
  • condloence
  • condoelnce
  • condolance
  • condolecne
  • condolencce
  • condolenec
  • condolennce
  • condollence
  • condolnece
  • conndolence
  • conodlence
  • ocndolence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccondolence1cnodolence2codnolence2conddolence1condloence2condoelnce2condolance1condolecne2
Edit distance from "condolence"

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 "condolence"?
"condolence" is spelled C-O-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈdoʊləns/.
What does "condolence" mean?
As a noun, "condolence" means: Comfort, support or sympathy.
What words are commonly confused with "condolence"?
"condolence" is commonly confused with "condolences". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "condolence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "condolence" is /kənˈdoʊləns/. 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 "condolence"?
From condole + -ence, or from Middle French condoléance, or formed from the root of Latin condoleō (“I sympathize”), from con- (“together, with”) and doleō (“I hurt, suffer, have pain”). 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 "condolence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

conjugated#37,862collarbone#37,859castration#37,845defenceman#37,879

Similar misspelling depth

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

crematorium16 variantsButterworth16 variantselectronica16 variantswatertight16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list