conference

/ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/

//ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“conference” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,047. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,047
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conference · conference · English

conference · rank #1,047 · 16 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,047
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH committee

Nearest frequency peer: committee (-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 “conference”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “conference” 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).

conference vs confidence
80% similar
conference vs confluence
80% similar
conference vs convergence
82% similar

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

Key facts for conference
PropertyValue
Headwordconference
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,047
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “conference”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).conferencelands 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 “committee” (#1,046), “difference” (#1,048), “Chinese” (#1,045). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conference” is #1,047. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around conference (IPA /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,047 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for conference, with forms such as "cconference", "cnoference", and "cofnerence". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "confidence", "confluence", "convergence", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, several steps omitting from con- + ferō. Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ), ultimatel… The correct English form is conference, spelled C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
  2. 2
    The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
  3. 3
    A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
  4. 4
    A formal event where scientists or other scholars present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
  5. 5
    An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.
  6. 6
    A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
  7. 7
    A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
  8. 8
    A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
  9. 9
    A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.
  10. 10
    A talk or lecture, (Catholicism) especially when given as part of a retreat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nor with such free and friendly conference / As he hath used of old.
  2. Mr. Wiley, a lawyer of some ability, was sitting in his office one day, when an elderly gentleman came in and asked to have a few words of conference with him.

Etymology

From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, several steps omitting from con- + ferō. Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ), ultimately from the same Indo-European prefix and root. Also compare congress, convention.

This word in other languages

conferencia(Español)conférence(Français)Konferenz(Deutsch)conferência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconference
  • cnoference
  • cofnerence
  • conefrence
  • confeernce
  • conferance
  • conferecne
  • conferencce
  • conferenec
  • conferennce
  • confernece
  • conferrence
  • confference
  • confreence
  • connference
  • ocnference

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconference1cnoference2cofnerence2conefrence2confeernce2conferance1conferecne2conferencce1
Edit distance from "conference"

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 "conference"?
"conference" is spelled C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/.
What does "conference" mean?
As a noun, "conference" means: The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
What words are commonly confused with "conference"?
"conference" is commonly confused with "confidence", "confluence", "convergence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conference"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conference" is /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/. 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 "conference"?
From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, several steps omitting from con- + ferō. Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ),... 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 "conference", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

difference#1,048population#1,056California#1,067completely#1,070

Similar misspelling depth

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

professional16 variantsWashington16 variantstechnology16 variantsproduction16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list