maleficence

Name: maleficence, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/məˈlɛfɪsəns/

//məˈlɛfɪsəns// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“maleficence” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English: 11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - harmfulness or mischief.

Key facts for maleficence
Property	Value
Headword	maleficence
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/məˈlɛfɪsəns/
Letters	11
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maleficence” sits in English frequency

maleficence falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

maleficence is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /məˈlɛfɪsəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "harmfulness or mischief.".

No misspelling variants are generated for maleficence in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian maleficenza or Middle French maleficence or directly from Latin maleficentia. The correct English form is maleficence, spelled M-A-L-E-F-I-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

1
harmfulness or mischief.

Etymology

From Italian maleficenza or Middle French maleficence or directly from Latin maleficentia.

Antonyms

beneficence nonmaleficence

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "maleficence"?

"maleficence" is spelled M-A-L-E-F-I-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈlɛfɪsəns/.

What does "maleficence" mean?

As a noun, "maleficence" means: harmfulness or mischief.

How do you pronounce "maleficence"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maleficence" is /məˈlɛfɪsəns/. 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 "maleficence"?

From Italian maleficenza or Middle French maleficence or directly from Latin maleficentia. 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 “maleficence”

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

The one correct English spelling is M-A-L-E-F-I-C-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /məˈlɛfɪsəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.