negligence

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

/ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/

//ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns// noun

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

The verdict

“negligence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,110. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,110
frequency rank, English: 24,391
“N” headwords: 16
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being negligent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

negligence vs negligent

80% similar

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

Key facts for negligence
Property	Value
Headword	negligence
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#12,110
Misspellings tracked	16
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “negligence” 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). negligence lands here:

#12,110

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around negligence (IPA /ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,110 among 24,391 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for negligence, with forms such as "engligence", "neggligence", and "negilgence". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "negligent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English necligence, negligence, from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia. The correct English form is negligence, spelled N-E-G-L-I-G-E-N-C-E.

Definition

1
The state of being negligent.
2
The tort whereby a duty of reasonable care was breached, causing damage: any conduct short of intentional or reckless action that falls below the legal standard for preventing unreasonable injury.
3
The breach of a duty of care: the failure to exercise a standard of care that a reasonable person would have in a similar situation.

Etymology

From Middle English necligence, negligence, from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia.

This word in other languages

negligencia(Español)Nachlässigkeit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: engligence,neggligence,negilgence,neglgience,negliegnce,negligance,negligecne,negligencce,negligenec,negligennce,negliggence,neglignece,neglligence,nelgigence,ngeligence,nnegligence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of negligence - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "negligence"

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 "negligence"?

"negligence" is spelled N-E-G-L-I-G-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/.

What does "negligence" mean?

As a noun, "negligence" means: The state of being negligent.

What words are commonly confused with "negligence"?

"negligence" is commonly confused with "negligent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "negligence"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "negligence" is /ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/. 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 "negligence"?

From Middle English necligence, negligence, from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia. 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 “negligence”

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

The one correct English spelling is N-E-G-L-I-G-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “negligent” - see the side-by-side comparison. negligence vs negligent
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.