convalescence
"convalescence" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“convalescence” is uncommon English (frequency #60,725 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #60,725
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gradual healing after illness or injury.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | convalescence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #60,725 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “convalescence” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
convalescence is uncommon English at frequency #60,725 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for convalescence, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French convalescence, from Late Latin convalēscentia (“regaining of health”), from Latin convalēscēn(t-)s, present participle of convalēscere (“to become strong or well”); see convalesce. The correct English form is convalescence, spelled C-O-N-V-A-L-E-S-C-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A gradual healing after illness or injury.
- 2The period of time spent healing.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French convalescence, from Late Latin convalēscentia (“regaining of health”), from Latin convalēscēn(t-)s, present participle of convalēscere (“to become strong or well”); see convalesce.
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 "convalescence"?
What does "convalescence" mean?
What is the origin of the word "convalescence"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “convalescence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-V-A-L-E-S-C-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.