fence

/fɛns/

//fɛns// noun

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

"fence" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fence” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,037. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,037
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fence · fence · English

fence · rank #5,037 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,037
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH farming

Nearest frequency peer: farming (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fence”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fence” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fence vs FNC
0% similar
fence vs fine
60% similar
fence vs feng
60% similar

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

Key facts for fence
PropertyValue
Headwordfence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɛns/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,037
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fence” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fencelands 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 “farming” (#5,036), “FIFA” (#5,038), “excess” (#5,035). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around fence (IPA /fɛns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,037 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for fence, with forms such as "efnce", "fance", and "fecne". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FNC", "fine", "feng", and more, 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 fence, fens, short for defence, defens (“the act of defending”), from Old French defens, defense (see defence). The sense "enclosure" arises in the mid 15th century. Also from the 15th century is use as a verb in the sense "to enclose wi… The correct English form is fence, spelled F-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
  2. 2
    Someone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods, a criminal middleman for transactions of stolen goods.
  3. 3
    The place whence such a middleman operates.
  4. 4
    Skill in oral debate.
  5. 5
    The art or practice of fencing.
  6. 6
    A guard or guide on machinery.
  7. 7
    A barrier, for example an emotional barrier.
  8. 8
    A memory barrier.
  9. 9
    The boundary.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was a weak place in the fence separating the two inclosures
  2. From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.

Etymology

From Middle English fence, fens, short for defence, defens (“the act of defending”), from Old French defens, defense (see defence). The sense "enclosure" arises in the mid 15th century. Also from the 15th century is use as a verb in the sense "to enclose with a fence". The generalized sense "to defend, screen, protect" arises ca. 1500. The sense "to fight with swords (rapiers)" is from the 1590s (Shakespeare). Displaced native Old English heġe (compare Modern English hedge).

This word in other languages

cerca(Español)clôture(Français)Zaun(Deutsch)cerca(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efnce
  • fance
  • fecne
  • fencce
  • fenec
  • fennce
  • ffence
  • fnece

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efnce2fance1fecne2fencce1fenec2fennce1ffence1fnece2
Edit distance from "fence"

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 "fence"?
"fence" is spelled F-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɛns/.
What does "fence" mean?
As a noun, "fence" means: A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "fence"?
"fence" is commonly confused with "FNC", "fine", "feng". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fence" is /fɛns/. 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 "fence"?
From Middle English fence, fens, short for defence, defens (“the act of defending”), from Old French defens, defense (see defence). The sense "enclosure" arises in the mid 15th century. Also from the 15th century is use as a verb in the sense "to ... 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 "fence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

males#5,061chips#5,012blown#5,009winds#4,998

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

beaten8 variantsquoted8 variantsuseless8 variantstwist8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "fence". Here's where to go from here.

  • "fence" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "FNC". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,037 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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