connivance

/kəˈnaɪvəns/

//kəˈnaɪvəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“connivance” is uncommon English (frequency #78,487 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,487
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of conniving or conspiring.

Key facts for connivance
PropertyValue
Headwordconnivance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈnaɪvəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#78,487
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “connivance” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). connivance lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

connivance is uncommon English at frequency #78,487 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈnaɪvəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The process of conniving or conspiring.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for connivance in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From early 18th c., replaced earlier form connivence (late 16th c.), from Latin connīventia, from connīvēns (“winking”). The correct English form is connivance, spelled C-O-N-N-I-V-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of conniving or conspiring.

Etymology

From early 18th c., replaced earlier form connivence (late 16th c.), from Latin connīventia, from connīvēns (“winking”).

This word in other languages

connivencia(Español)connivence(Français)conivência(Português)

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 "connivance"?
"connivance" is spelled C-O-N-N-I-V-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈnaɪvəns/.
What does "connivance" mean?
As a noun, "connivance" means: The process of conniving or conspiring.
How do you pronounce "connivance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "connivance" is /kəˈnaɪvəns/. 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 "connivance"?
From early 18th c., replaced earlier form connivence (late 16th c.), from Latin connīventia, from connīvēns (“winking”). 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.

Using “connivance”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-N-I-V-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈnaɪvəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list