instance

/ˈɪnstəns/

//ˈɪnstəns// noun

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

"instance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“instance” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,540 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,540
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Urgency of manner or words; an urgent request; insistence.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

instance vs instant
75% similar
instance vs instinct
75% similar
instance vs issuance
75% similar

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

Key facts for instance
PropertyValue
Headwordinstance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪnstəns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,540
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “instance” 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). instance lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for instance is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪnstəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,540 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for instance, with forms such as "innstance", "insatnce", and "insstance". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "instant", "instinct", "issuance", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French instance, from Latin īnstantia (“a being near, presence, also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”), from īnstāns (“urgent”); see instant. The correct English form is instance, spelled I-N-S-T-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Urgency of manner or words; an urgent request; insistence.
  2. 2
    A token; a sign; a symptom or indication.
  3. 3
    That which is urgent; motive.
  4. 4
    A piece of evidence; a proof or sign (of something).
  5. 5
    An occasion; an order of occurrence.
  6. 6
    A case offered as an exemplification or a precedent; an illustrative example.
  7. 7
    One of a series of recurring occasions, cases, essentially the same.
  8. 8
    A specific occurrence of something that is created or instantiated, such as a database, or an object of a class in object-oriented programming.
  9. 9
    A dungeon or other area that is duplicated for each player, or each party of players, that enters it, so that each player or party has a private copy of the area, isolated from other players.
  10. 10
    An individual copy of such a dungeon or other area.
  11. 11
    An independent server on a decentralised social network, such as Mastodon.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French instance, from Latin īnstantia (“a being near, presence, also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”), from īnstāns (“urgent”); see instant.

Antonyms

noninstance

This word in other languages

instancia(Español)instance(Français)Beispiel(Deutsch)exemplo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: innstance,insatnce,insstance,instacne,instancce,instanec,instannce,instence,instnace,insttance,intsance,isntance,nistance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innstance1insatnce2insstance1instacne2instancce1instanec2instannce1instence1
Edit distance from "instance"

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 "instance"?
"instance" is spelled I-N-S-T-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnstəns/.
What does "instance" mean?
As a noun, "instance" means: Urgency of manner or words; an urgent request; insistence.
What words are commonly confused with "instance"?
"instance" is commonly confused with "instant", "instinct", "issuance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "instance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instance" is /ˈɪnstəns/. 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 "instance"?
Borrowed from Middle French instance, from Latin īnstantia (“a being near, presence, also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”), from īnstāns (“urgent”); see instant. 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.

Using “instance”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-S-T-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪnstəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “instant” - see the side-by-side comparison. instance vs instant
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list