experience

/ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/

//ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns// noun

"experience" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“experience” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #541 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#541
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintanc...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

experience vs experienced
91% similar
experience vs experiences
91% similar
experience vs expediency
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for experience
PropertyValue
Headwordexperience
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#541
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “experience” sits in English frequency

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for experience is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #541 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for experience, with forms such as "epxerience", "exeprience", and "expeirence". 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 also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "experienced", "experiences", "expediency", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“out”) + per… The correct English form is experience, spelled E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.
  2. 2
    An activity one has performed.
  3. 3
    A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.
  4. 4
    The knowledge thus gathered.
  5. 5
    A business offering in which a major focus is the way that the customer interacts with the business throughout the transaction, as opposed to only its outcome (the product or service).
  6. 6
    Synonym of experience points
  7. 7
    Trial; a test or experiment.

Etymology

From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“out”) + peritus (“experienced, expert”), past participle of *periri (“to go through”); see expert and peril. Displaced native Old English āfandung (“experience”) and āfandian (“to experience”).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epxerience,exeprience,expeirence,expereince,experiance,experiecne,experiencce,experienec,experiennce,experinece,experrience,expperience,expreience,exxperience,xeperience

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of experience - 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.

epxerience2exeprience2expeirence2expereince2experiance1experiecne2experiencce1experienec2
Edit distance from "experience"

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 "experience"?
"experience" is spelled E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/.
What does "experience" mean?
As a noun, "experience" means: The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintanc...
What words are commonly confused with "experience"?
"experience" is commonly confused with "experienced", "experiences", "expediency". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "experience"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "experience" is /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/. 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 "experience"?
From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“o... 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.

Using “experience”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “experienced” - see the side-by-side comparison. experience vs experienced
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list