insolence

/ˈɪn.sə.ləns/

//ˈɪn.sə.ləns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“insolence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,271. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,271
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Contemptible, ill-mannered conduct; insulting: arrogant, bold behaviour or attitude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-insolence · insolence · English

insolence · rank #44,271 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,271
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inking

Nearest frequency peer: inking (-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 “insolence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “insolence” 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).

insolence vs insolent
78% similar
insolence vs insolvency
80% similar
insolence vs innocence
78% similar

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

Key facts for insolence
PropertyValue
Headwordinsolence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.sə.ləns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#44,271
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “insolence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).insolencelands 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 “inking” (#44,270), “instigation” (#44,272), “indented” (#44,269). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “insolence” is #44,271. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around insolence (IPA /ˈɪn.sə.ləns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,271 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for insolence, with forms such as "innsolence", "inoslence", and "insloence". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "insolent", "insolvency", "innocence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French insolence, from Latin īnsolentia. The correct English form is insolence, spelled I-N-S-O-L-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Contemptible, ill-mannered conduct; insulting: arrogant, bold behaviour or attitude.
  2. 2
    Insolent conduct or treatment; insult.
  3. 3
    The quality of being unusual or novel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. all the insolence of imaginary superiority
  2. There she was, doing rude things, and saying ruder, which every body bore with the best grace in the world: then, as now, it was perfectly astonishing what people in general will submit to in the way of insolence, provided the said insolence be attended by rank and riches.

Etymology

From Middle French insolence, from Latin īnsolentia.

This word in other languages

insolencia(Español)insolence(Français)Unverfrorenheit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innsolence
  • inoslence
  • insloence
  • insoelnce
  • insolance
  • insolecne
  • insolencce
  • insolenec
  • insolennce
  • insollence
  • insolnece
  • inssolence
  • isnolence
  • nisolence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innsolence1inoslence2insloence2insoelnce2insolance1insolecne2insolencce1insolenec2
Edit distance from "insolence"

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 "insolence"?
"insolence" is spelled I-N-S-O-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.sə.ləns/.
What does "insolence" mean?
As a noun, "insolence" means: Contemptible, ill-mannered conduct; insulting: arrogant, bold behaviour or attitude.
What words are commonly confused with "insolence"?
"insolence" is commonly confused with "insolent", "insolvency", "innocence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "insolence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "insolence" is /ˈɪn.sə.ləns/. 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 "insolence"?
From Middle French insolence, from Latin īnsolentia. 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 "insolence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Jorgensen#44,285headscarf#44,249harshness#44,246forthwith#44,210

Similar misspelling depth

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

mercifully14 variantsmicrobiome14 variantsNapolitano14 variantspampering14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list