defiance
/dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/
"defiance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“defiance” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,382. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #15,382
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
Corpus desk
Index EN-defiance · defiance · English
defiance · rank #15,382 · 12 variants · 3 confusables
- FREQ-MID #15,382
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
- VAR-MID 12 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH dearly
Nearest frequency peer: dearly (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “defiance”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- crib
crib
84,622 corpus weight
- crossroads
crossroads
84,621 corpus weight
- dearly
dearly
84,620 corpus weight
- defiance
defiance
84,619 corpus weight
- deter
deter
84,618 corpus weight
- diner
diner
84,617 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “defiance” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around defiance (IPA /dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,382 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how defiance appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.
Ambassador Udina: The other species are scared. They've never faced anything like this before and they don't know what to do. They want us to step forward. They believe in humanity because of you. Ambassador Udina: Your ruthless pursuit of Saren and the geth, your defiance of the Council -- that's what humans are capable of! That's how we can defeat the R…
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "defiance", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "defiance". Here's where to go from here.
- "defiance" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "define". View pair
- 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #15,382 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.