consonance

/ˈkɑn.sə.nəns/

//ˈkɑn.sə.nəns// noun

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

The verdict

“consonance” is uncommon English (frequency #87,163 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,163
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A form of rhyme having the same consonants but different vowels.

Corpus desk

Index EN-consonance · consonance · English

consonance · rank #87,163 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,163
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH constitutiona…

Nearest frequency peer: constitutionalist (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “consonance”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “consonance” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for consonance
PropertyValue
Headwordconsonance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑn.sə.nəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#87,163
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “consonance” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “constitutionalist” (#87,164), “consigliere” (#87,161), “coronas” (#87,167). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “consonance” is #87,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

consonance is uncommon English at frequency #87,163 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɑn.sə.nəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for consonance, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English consonance, from Middle French consonance, from Latin cōnsonantia. Doublet of consonancy. By surface analysis, con- + son- + -ance. The correct English form is consonance, spelled C-O-N-S-O-N-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A form of rhyme having the same consonants but different vowels.
  2. 2
    Harmony; agreement; absence of discordance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Like a musical string, the optic nerve responds to the waves with which it is in consonance, while it refuses to be excited by others of almost infinitely greater energy, whose period of recurrence are not in unison with its own.

Etymology

From Middle English consonance, from Middle French consonance, from Latin cōnsonantia. Doublet of consonancy. By surface analysis, con- + son- + -ance.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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 "consonance"?
"consonance" is spelled C-O-N-S-O-N-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.sə.nəns/.
What does "consonance" mean?
As a noun, "consonance" means: A form of rhyme having the same consonants but different vowels.
How do you pronounce "consonance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "consonance" is /ˈkɑn.sə.nəns/. 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 "consonance"?
From Middle English consonance, from Middle French consonance, from Latin cōnsonantia. Doublet of consonancy. By surface analysis, con- + son- + -ance. 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 "consonance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list