confidence

/ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/

//ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“confidence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,247. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,247
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Self-assurance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-confidence · confidence · English

confidence · rank #2,247 · 16 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,247
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH committed

Nearest frequency peer: committed (-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 “confidence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “confidence” 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).

confidence vs confident
80% similar
confidence vs confluence
80% similar
confidence vs conference
80% similar

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

Key facts for confidence
PropertyValue
Headwordconfidence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,247
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “confidence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).confidencelands 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 “committed” (#2,246), “cook” (#2,248), “chapter” (#2,245). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “confidence” is #2,247. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around confidence (IPA /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,247 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for confidence, with forms such as "cconfidence", "cnofidence", and "cofnidence". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "confident", "confluence", "conference", 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 English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”). By surface analysis, confide + ence. The correct English form is confidence, spelled C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Self-assurance.
  2. 2
    A feeling of certainty; firm trust or belief; faith.
  3. 3
    Information held in secret; a piece of information shared but to thence be kept in secret.
  4. 4
    Boldness; presumption.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He entered the ring with confidence.
  2. She had confidence it would soon end.

Etymology

From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”). By surface analysis, confide + ence.

Antonyms

timidityshynessbashfulnessinsecurity

This word in other languages

certeza(Español)assurance(Français)Selbstvertrauen(Deutsch)convicção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconfidence
  • cnofidence
  • cofnidence
  • confdience
  • conffidence
  • confidance
  • confiddence
  • confidecne
  • confidencce
  • confidenec
  • confidennce
  • confidnece
  • confiednce
  • conifdence
  • connfidence
  • ocnfidence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconfidence1cnofidence2cofnidence2confdience2conffidence1confidance1confiddence1confidecne2
Edit distance from "confidence"

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 "confidence"?
"confidence" is spelled C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/.
What does "confidence" mean?
As a noun, "confidence" means: Self-assurance.
What words are commonly confused with "confidence"?
"confidence" is commonly confused with "confident", "confluence", "conference". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "confidence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "confidence" is /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/. 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 "confidence"?
From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”). By surface analysis, confide + ence. 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 "confidence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

properties#2,266relatively#2,228determined#2,289facilities#2,202

Similar misspelling depth

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

applications16 variantstemperature16 variantsexperienced16 variantsincredible16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list