# conference

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/ · frequency rank #1,047

## Definitions
1. The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
2. The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
3. A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
4. A formal event where scientists or other scholars present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
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. A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
7. A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
8. A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
9. A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.
10. A 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.

## Easily confused with
- **confidence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conference-vs-confidence)
- **confluence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conference-vs-confluence)
- **convergence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conference-vs-convergence)
- **coherence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coherence-vs-conference)

## Common misspellings (16)
`cconference`, `cnoference`, `cofnerence`, `conefrence`, `confeernce`, `conferance`, `conferecne`, `conferencce`, `conferenec`, `conferennce`, `confernece`, `conferrence`, `confference`, `confreence`, `connference`, `ocnference`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/conference