confidant

/ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt/

//ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt// noun

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

"confidant" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“confidant” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,483. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,483
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.

Corpus desk

Index EN-confidant · confidant · English

confidant · rank #31,483 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,483
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH config

Nearest frequency peer: config (+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 “confidant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “confidant” 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).

confidant vs confident
89% similar
confidant vs confidante
90% similar

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

Key facts for confidant
PropertyValue
Headwordconfidant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#31,483
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “confidant”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).confidantlands 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 “config” (#31,484), “combed” (#31,481), “confiscate” (#31,485). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “confidant” is #31,483. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around confidant (IPA /ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,483 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for confidant, with forms such as "cconfidant", "cnofidant", and "cofnidant". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "confident", "confidante", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French confident. The correct English form is confidant, spelled C-O-N-F-I-D-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Heaven made you love me for no other end, / But to become my confidant and friend: / As such, I keep no secret from your sight, […]
  2. One in thought and purpose, linked by the necessity of combating one hostile fate, a power antagonistic ever, - a power we lived to evade, - we had no confidants save ourselves.

Etymology

From French confident.

This word in other languages

confidente(Español)confidente(Français)Vertrauter(Deutsch)confidente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconfidant
  • cnofidant
  • cofnidant
  • confdiant
  • conffidant
  • confiadnt
  • confidannt
  • confidantt
  • confidatn
  • confiddant
  • confidnat
  • conifdant
  • connfidant
  • ocnfidant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of confidant - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cconfidant1cnofidant2cofnidant2confdiant2conffidant1confiadnt2confidannt1confidantt1
Edit distance from "confidant"

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 "confidant"?
"confidant" is spelled C-O-N-F-I-D-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt/.
What does "confidant" mean?
As a noun, "confidant" means: A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.
What words are commonly confused with "confidant"?
"confidant" is commonly confused with "confident", "confidante". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "confidant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "confidant" is /ˈkɑn.fɪ.dɑnt/. 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 "confidant"?
From French confident. 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 "confidant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

citizenry#31,476deflation#31,500demeaning#31,501Barrymore#31,451

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Bellingham14 variantsaudiovisual14 variantsdoctrinal14 variantsexpatriate14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list