defiance
/dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/
"defiance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“defiance” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,382 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,382
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | defiance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #15,382 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “defiance” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for defiance is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,382 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for defiance, with forms such as "ddefiance", "defaince", and "deffiance". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "define", "defiant", "defence", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English defiaunce, from Old French desfiance, from desfier. By surface analysis, defy + -ance. The correct English form is defiance, spelled D-E-F-I-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
- 2Open or bold resistance to or disregard for authority, opposition, or power; refusing to give up.
- 3A challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge.
Etymology
From Middle English defiaunce, from Old French desfiance, from desfier. By surface analysis, defy + -ance.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddefiance,defaince,deffiance,defiacne,defiancce,defianec,defiannce,defience,definace,deifance,dfeiance,edfiance
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defiance - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "defiance"?
What does "defiance" mean?
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Using “defiance”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-F-I-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “define” - see the side-by-side comparison. defiance vs define
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.