continence
/ˈkɒntɪnəns/
"continence" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“continence” is uncommon English (frequency #84,116 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #84,116
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The voluntary control of urination and defecation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-continence · continence · English
continence · rank #84,116 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #84,116
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH Constantius
Nearest frequency peer: Constantius (-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 “continence”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Congreve
Congreve
15,887 corpus weight
- Constantius
Constantius
15,886 corpus weight
- continence
continence
15,885 corpus weight
- convolution…
convolutional
15,883 corpus weight
- coppery
coppery
15,882 corpus weight
- cotillion
cotillion
15,881 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “continence” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | continence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒntɪnəns/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #84,116 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “continence” in English
Rare enough to double-check
continence is uncommon English at frequency #84,116 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒntɪnəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for continence, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Dated from the 14th century as Middle English contynence, from Old French continence, from Latin continentia (“a repression”). See also countenance. The correct English form is continence, spelled C-O-N-T-I-N-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The voluntary control of urination and defecation.
- 2Moderation or self-restraint, especially in sexual activity; abstinence.
- 3Uninterrupted course; continuity.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how continence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
To maintain continence, the puborectalis muscle chokes the anal canal. The sling of tissue is supposed to release during defecation. Mine has not been doing that.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:continence.
Etymology
Dated from the 14th century as Middle English contynence, from Old French continence, from Latin continentia (“a repression”). See also countenance.
Synonyms
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "continence", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).