# existence

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɛɡˈzɪs.təns/ · frequency rank #2,732

## Definitions
1. The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood.
2. Empirical reality; the substance of the physical universe. (Dictionary of Philosophy; 1968)

## Etymology
From Middle English existence, from Old French existence, from Late Latin existentia (“existence”), from existēns, from existō, exsistō (“I am, I exist”), from ex (“out”) + sistere (“to set, place”) (related to stare (“to stand, to be stood”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, from the root *steh₂- (“stand”). Cognate with Spanish existencia, French existence, German Existenz.
Morphologically exist + -ence.

## Easily confused with
- **existent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/existence-vs-existent)

## Common misspellings (14)
`eixstence`, `exisetnce`, `exisstence`, `existance`, `existecne`, `existencce`, `existenec`, `existennce`, `existnece`, `existtence`, `exitsence`, `exsitence`, `exxistence`, `xeistence`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/existence