monstrance

/ˈmɒnstɹəns/

//ˈmɒnstɹəns// noun

"monstrance" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ornamental, often precious receptacle, either open or with a transparent cover, in which the sacramental bread (consecrated host) is placed for Eucharistic adoration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-monstrance · monstrance · English

monstrance · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 monstrance
PropertyValue
Headwordmonstrance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒnstɹəns/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “monstrance” in English

monstrancefalls 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

monstrance is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɒnstɹəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An ornamental, often precious receptacle, either open or with a transparent cover, in which the sacramental bread (consecrated host) is placed for Eucharistic adoration.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for monstrance, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mustraunce, from Old French mostrance, monstrance, from post-classical Latin mōnstrantia, from classical Latin mōnstrāns, present participle of mōnstrāre (“to show”). The correct English form is monstrance, spelled M-O-N-S-T-R-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ornamental, often precious receptacle, either open or with a transparent cover, in which the sacramental bread (consecrated host) is placed for Eucharistic adoration.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He loved to kneel down on the cold marble pavement and watch the priest, in his stiff flowered dalmatic, slowly and with white hands moving aside the veil of the tabernacle, or raising aloft the jewelled, lantern-shaped monstrance with that pallid wafer that at times, one would fain think, is indeed the "panis caelestis," the bread of angels, or, robed in…
  2. Sir Oswald had done pretty well during the war out of his timber, and there had been no death duties to pay for many years, not since the old man had died. But there was no doubt that the shoe was beginning to pinch. He had been obliged to sell that Spanish monstrance in '30, or was it '31?

Etymology

From Middle English mustraunce, from Old French mostrance, monstrance, from post-classical Latin mōnstrantia, from classical Latin mōnstrāns, present participle of mōnstrāre (“to show”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "monstrance"?
"monstrance" is spelled M-O-N-S-T-R-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒnstɹəns/.
What does "monstrance" mean?
As a noun, "monstrance" means: An ornamental, often precious receptacle, either open or with a transparent cover, in which the sacramental bread (consecrated host) is placed for Eucharistic adoration.
How do you pronounce "monstrance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "monstrance" is /ˈmɒnstɹəns/. 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 "monstrance"?
From Middle English mustraunce, from Old French mostrance, monstrance, from post-classical Latin mōnstrantia, from classical Latin mōnstrāns, present participle of mōnstrāre (“to show”). 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