indulgence

/ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns/

//ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“indulgence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,707. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,707
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of indulging.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indulgence · indulgence · English

indulgence · rank #22,707 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #22,707
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impromptu

Nearest frequency peer: impromptu (-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 “indulgence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “indulgence” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

indulgence vs indulgent
80% similar

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

Key facts for indulgence
PropertyValue
Headwordindulgence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#22,707
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “indulgence”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “impromptu” (#22,706), “intersect” (#22,708), “imposition” (#22,705). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indulgence” is #22,707. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around indulgence (IPA /ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,707 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for indulgence, with forms such as "idnulgence", "inddulgence", and "indlugence". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "indulgent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English indulgence, indulgens, from Middle French indulgence and its source, Latin indulgentia. The correct English form is indulgence, spelled I-N-D-U-L-G-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of indulging.
  2. 2
    Tolerance.
  3. 3
    The act of catering to someone's every desire.
  4. 4
    A wish or whim satisfied.
  5. 5
    Something in which someone indulges.
  6. 6
    An indulgent act; a favour granted; gratification.
  7. 7
    A pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory, after the sinner has been granted absolution.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. will all they that either through indulgence to others or fondness to any sin in themselves, substitute for repentance any thing that is less than a sincere, uniform resolution of new obedience
  2. As indulgence in several wives depended mainly on the length of a man's purse, the poor naturally contented themselves with monogamy.

Etymology

From Middle English indulgence, indulgens, from Middle French indulgence and its source, Latin indulgentia.

This word in other languages

indulgencia(Español)indulgence(Français)Nachgiebigkeit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnulgence
  • inddulgence
  • indlugence
  • induglence
  • indulegnce
  • indulgance
  • indulgecne
  • indulgencce
  • indulgenec
  • indulgennce
  • indulggence
  • indulgnece
  • indullgence
  • inndulgence
  • inudlgence
  • nidulgence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indulgence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

idnulgence2inddulgence1indlugence2induglence2indulegnce2indulgance1indulgecne2indulgencce1
Edit distance from "indulgence"

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 "indulgence"?
"indulgence" is spelled I-N-D-U-L-G-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns/.
What does "indulgence" mean?
As a noun, "indulgence" means: The act of indulging.
What words are commonly confused with "indulgence"?
"indulgence" is commonly confused with "indulgent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indulgence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indulgence" is /ɪnˈdʌl.d͡ʒəns/. 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 "indulgence"?
From Middle English indulgence, indulgens, from Middle French indulgence and its source, Latin indulgentia. 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 "indulgence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

imposition#22,705Harrisburg#22,699groundwork#22,696glittering#22,690

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

exaggerating16 variantsdisclosing16 variantscomplacent16 variantsrepentance16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list