maleficence

/məˈlɛfɪsəns/

//məˈlɛfɪsəns// noun

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

"maleficence" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

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 September 3, 2026) - harmfulness or mischief.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maleficence · maleficence · English

maleficence · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for maleficence
PropertyValue
Headwordmaleficence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈlɛfɪsəns/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “maleficence” in English

maleficenceranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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. 1
    harmfulness or mischief.

Etymology

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

Antonyms

beneficencenonmaleficence

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list