deviance

/ˈdiːvɪəns/

//ˈdiːvɪəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“deviance” is uncommon English (frequency #56,063 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,063
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as laws and customs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deviance · deviance · English

deviance · rank #56,063 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,063
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH desertificati…

Nearest frequency peer: desertification (-2 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 “deviance”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “deviance” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for deviance
PropertyValue
Headworddeviance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdiːvɪəns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#56,063
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “deviance” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).deviancefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “desertification” (#56,061), “diastolic” (#56,065), “dictum” (#56,066). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deviance” is #56,063. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deviance is uncommon English at frequency #56,063 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdiːvɪəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for deviance in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French déviance. The correct English form is deviance, spelled D-E-V-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as laws and customs.
  2. 2
    A person or thing that differs from the expected.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Socrates was sentenced to death for his deviance.

Etymology

Borrowed from French déviance.

This word in other languages

déviance(Français)

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 "deviance"?
"deviance" is spelled D-E-V-I-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiːvɪəns/.
What does "deviance" mean?
As a noun, "deviance" means: Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as laws and customs.
How do you pronounce "deviance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deviance" is /ˈdiːvɪəns/. 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 "deviance"?
Borrowed from French déviance. 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 "deviance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

disunity#56,073ecliptic#56,082Dashwood#56,043effusive#56,083

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list