influence

/ˈɪn.flu.əns/

//ˈɪn.flu.əns// noun

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

"influence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“influence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,725. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,725
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-influence · influence · English

influence · rank #1,725 · 14 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,725
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impossible

Nearest frequency peer: impossible (-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 “influence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “influence” 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).

influence vs influenza
78% similar
influence vs influenced
90% similar
influence vs influences
90% similar

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

Key facts for influence
PropertyValue
Headwordinfluence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.flu.əns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,725
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “influence” 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). influence lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around influence (IPA /ˈɪn.flu.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,725 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for influence, with forms such as "ifnluence", "inffluence", and "infleunce". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "influenza", "influenced", "influences", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English influence, from Old French influence (“emanation from the stars affecting one's fate”), from Medieval Latin īnfluentia, from Latin īnfluēns (“flowing in”), present active participle of īnfluō (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + fluō (“flow… The correct English form is influence, spelled I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.
  2. 2
    An action exerted by a person or thing with such power on another to cause change.
  3. 3
    A person or thing exerting such power or action.
  4. 4
    An element believed to determine someone's character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth.
  5. 5
    The action of flowing in; influx.
  6. 6
    Electrostatic induction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have absolutely no influence over him.
  2. The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use.

Etymology

From Middle English influence, from Old French influence (“emanation from the stars affecting one's fate”), from Medieval Latin īnfluentia, from Latin īnfluēns (“flowing in”), present active participle of īnfluō (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + fluō (“flow”). Doublet of influenza.

This word in other languages

influencia(Español)influence(Français)Einfluss(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnluence
  • inffluence
  • infleunce
  • inflluence
  • influance
  • influecne
  • influencce
  • influenec
  • influennce
  • influnece
  • infulence
  • inlfuence
  • innfluence
  • nifluence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnluence2inffluence1infleunce2inflluence1influance1influecne2influencce1influenec2
Edit distance from "influence"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "influence"?
"influence" is spelled I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.flu.əns/.
What does "influence" mean?
As a noun, "influence" means: The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.
What words are commonly confused with "influence"?
"influence" is commonly confused with "influenza", "influenced", "influences". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "influence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "influence" is /ˈɪn.flu.əns/. 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 "influence"?
From Middle English influence, from Old French influence (“emanation from the stars affecting one's fate”), from Medieval Latin īnfluentia, from Latin īnfluēns (“flowing in”), present active participle of īnfluō (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + f... 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 "influence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

marketing#1,729materials#1,731customers#1,714standards#1,739

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

impossible14 variantscompleted14 variantsextremely14 variantsstrength14 variants

What to do next

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

  • "influence" maps to 5 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "influenza". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,725 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–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