credence

/ˈkɹiː.dəns/

//ˈkɹiː.dəns// noun

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

"credence" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“credence” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,049. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,049
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Acceptance of a belief or claim as true, especially on the basis of evidence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-credence · credence · English

credence · rank #26,049 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #26,049
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cornerback

Nearest frequency peer: cornerback (-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 “credence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “credence” 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).

credence vs cadence
75% similar

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

Key facts for credence
PropertyValue
Headwordcredence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹiː.dəns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#26,049
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “credence”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).credencelands 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 “cornerback” (#26,048), “crossfire” (#26,051), “currie” (#26,052). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “credence” is #26,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around credence (IPA /ˈkɹiː.dəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,049 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for credence, with forms such as "ccredence", "cerdence", and "crdeence". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cadence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English credence, from Old French credence, from Medieval Latin crēdentia (“belief, faith”), from Latin crēdēns, present active participle of crēdō (“loan, confide in, trust, believe”). Compare French croyance, French créance, Italian credenza, … The correct English form is credence, spelled C-R-E-D-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acceptance of a belief or claim as true, especially on the basis of evidence.
  2. 2
    Credential or supporting material for a person or claim.
  3. 3
    A small table or credenza used in certain Christian religious services.
  4. 4
    A cupboard, sideboard, or cabinet, particularly one intended for the display of rich vessels or plate on open shelves.
  5. 5
    A subjective probability estimate of a belief or claim.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Based on the scientific data, I give credence to this hypothesis.
  2. He presented us with a letter of credence.

Etymology

From Middle English credence, from Old French credence, from Medieval Latin crēdentia (“belief, faith”), from Latin crēdēns, present active participle of crēdō (“loan, confide in, trust, believe”). Compare French croyance, French créance, Italian credenza, Portuguese crença, Romanian credință, Spanish creencia. Doublet of credenza.

This word in other languages

crédito(Español)crédit(Français)Glauben(Deutsch)crédito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccredence
  • cerdence
  • crdeence
  • credance
  • creddence
  • credecne
  • credencce
  • credenec
  • credennce
  • crednece
  • creednce
  • crredence
  • rcedence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of credence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccredence1cerdence2crdeence2credance1creddence1credecne2credencce1credenec2
Edit distance from "credence"

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 "credence"?
"credence" is spelled C-R-E-D-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹiː.dəns/.
What does "credence" mean?
As a noun, "credence" means: Acceptance of a belief or claim as true, especially on the basis of evidence.
What words are commonly confused with "credence"?
"credence" is commonly confused with "cadence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "credence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "credence" is /ˈkɹiː.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 "credence"?
From Middle English credence, from Old French credence, from Medieval Latin crēdentia (“belief, faith”), from Latin crēdēns, present active participle of crēdō (“loan, confide in, trust, believe”). Compare French croyance, French créance, Italian ... 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 "credence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chivalry#26,038emptying#26,077blushing#26,018fingered#26,088

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

civilised13 variantsforegoing13 variantsfrighten13 variantsAhmedabad13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list