forbearance
/fɔːˈbɛː.ɹən(t)s/
"forbearance" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forbearance” is uncommon English (frequency #54,186 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #54,186
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Patient self-control; restraint and tolerance under provocation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-forbearance · forbearance · English
forbearance · rank #54,186 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #54,186
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH FMC
Nearest frequency peer: FMC (-3 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.
Long-tail ranks near “forbearance”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- fetches
fetches
45,822 corpus weight
- FiOS
FiOS
45,821 corpus weight
- flan
flan
45,820 corpus weight
- FMC
FMC
45,818 corpus weight
- forbearance
forbearance
45,815 corpus weight
- FreeBSD
FreeBSD
45,812 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “forbearance” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forbearance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /fɔːˈbɛː.ɹən(t)s/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #54,186 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “forbearance” in English
Rare enough to double-check
forbearance is uncommon English at frequency #54,186 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɔːˈbɛː.ɹən(t)s/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
forbearance doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From forbear + -ance. The correct English form is forbearance, spelled F-O-R-B-E-A-R-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1Patient self-control; restraint and tolerance under provocation.
- 2A refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how forbearance appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Though I would give no information, he discovered, through some of the other servants, both her place of residence, and the existence of the child. Still he didn’t molest her; for which forbearance she might thank his aversion, I suppose.
I WOULD HAVE been nine or ten when my mother chased me up a thorn tree with a ceremonial hippo-hide whip. What my crime was, I forget. My mother was, and remains, a woman of exceptional forbearance. I must have done something so obnoxious as to beggar belief.
Etymology
From forbear + -ance.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "forbearance", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).