dissonance
/ˈdɪsənəns/
"dissonance" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dissonance” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,176 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,176
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A harsh, discordant combination of sounds.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dissonance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɪsənəns/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #28,176 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dissonance” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dissonance is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪsənəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,176 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for dissonance, with forms such as "ddissonance", "disonance", and "disosnance". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French dissonance, from Latin dissonantia; by surface analysis, dis- + son- + -ance. The correct English form is dissonance, spelled D-I-S-S-O-N-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A harsh, discordant combination of sounds.
- 2Conflicting notes that are not overtones of the note or chord sounding.
- 3A state of disagreement or conflict.
- 4An instance of that state.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French dissonance, from Latin dissonantia; by surface analysis, dis- + son- + -ance.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddissonance,disonance,disosnance,dissnoance,dissoannce,dissonacne,dissonancce,dissonanec,dissonannce,dissonence,dissonnace,dissonnance,dsisonance,idssonance
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dissonance - 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.
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 "dissonance"?
What does "dissonance" mean?
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Using “dissonance”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-S-O-N-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪsənəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.