conference
/ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/
"conference" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“conference” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,047 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,047
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | conference |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #1,047 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “conference” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for conference is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,047 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
- 2The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
- 3A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
- 4A formal event where scientists or other scholars present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
- 5An 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.
- 6A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
- 7A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
- 8A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
- 9A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.
- 10A talk or lecture, (Catholicism) especially when given as part of a retreat.
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
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.
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"?
What does "conference" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “conference”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “confidence” - see the side-by-side comparison. conference vs confidence
- 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.