espionage

/ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ/

//ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ// noun

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

"espionage" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“espionage” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,605. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,605
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.

Corpus desk

Index EN-espionage · espionage · English

espionage · rank #15,605 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,605
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH elusive

Nearest frequency peer: elusive (-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 “espionage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “espionage” 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
Key facts for espionage
PropertyValue
Headwordespionage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,605
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “espionage”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).espionagelands 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 “elusive” (#15,604), “eddy” (#15,603), “existential” (#15,607). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “espionage” is #15,605. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around espionage (IPA /ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,605 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for espionage, with forms such as "epsionage", "esiponage", and "espinoage". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1793, from French espionnage, from espionner (“to spy”), from Middle French espionner (“to spy”), from espion (“spy”), from Old French espion (“spy”), from Frankish *spehō (“spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōn… The correct English form is espionage, spelled E-S-P-I-O-N-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So intolerable did Heavy Benson's espionage become, that Raynham would have grown depopulated of its womankind had not Adrian interfered, who pointed out to the Baronet what a fearful arm his butler was wielding.
  2. What a freak show! I mean, how often do you meet a wrestling librarian? Yeah, about as often as you meet a high schoolgirl involved in international espionage… Okay, bad example.

Etymology

Recorded since 1793, from French espionnage, from espionner (“to spy”), from Middle French espionner (“to spy”), from espion (“spy”), from Old French espion (“spy”), from Frankish *spehō (“spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (“to spy, peek, peer”). In modern times, the French pronunciation of the s, which had fallen silent since the 13th century, was restored due to the influence of Italian spione (“spy”), and was therefore also adopted by the English. More at spy.

Synonyms

spying

This word in other languages

espionaje(Español)espionnage(Français)Spionage(Deutsch)espionagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epsionage
  • esiponage
  • espinoage
  • espioange
  • espionaeg
  • espionagge
  • espiongae
  • espionnage
  • espoinage
  • esppionage
  • esspionage
  • sepionage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of espionage - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

epsionage2esiponage2espinoage2espioange2espionaeg2espionagge1espiongae2espionnage1
Edit distance from "espionage"

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 "espionage"?
"espionage" is spelled E-S-P-I-O-N-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ/.
What does "espionage" mean?
As a noun, "espionage" means: The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.
What are common misspellings of "espionage"?
Common misspellings include "epsionage", "esiponage", "espinoage", "espioange", "espionaeg". The correct spelling is "espionage".
How do you pronounce "espionage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "espionage" is /ˈɛs.pi.əˌnɑːʒ/. 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 "espionage"?
Recorded since 1793, from French espionnage, from espionner (“to spy”), from Middle French espionner (“to spy”), from espion (“spy”), from Old French espion (“spy”), from Frankish *spehō (“spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-German... 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 "espionage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

denounced#15,599flashback#15,613connector#15,589complains#15,587

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

extremes12 variantsFriedman12 variantscoupling12 variantsimmersion12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list