performance

[pəˈfɔː.məns]

/[pəˈfɔː.məns]/ noun

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

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

The verdict

“performance” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #718. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#718
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action.

Corpus desk

Index EN-performance · performance · English

performance · rank #718 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #718
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH park

Nearest frequency peer: park (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “performance”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “performance” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for performance
PropertyValue
Headwordperformance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[pəˈfɔː.məns]
Letters11
Frequency rank#718
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “performance”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).performancelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “park” (#717), “press” (#719), “original” (#716). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “performance” is #718. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around performance (IPA [pəˈfɔː.məns]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #718 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for performance, with forms such as "eprformance", "pefrormance", and "perfformance". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English parfourmaunce; equivalent to perform + -ance. The correct English form is performance, spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action.
  2. 2
    That which is performed or accomplished; a thing done or carried through; an achievement; a deed; an act; a feat; especially, an action of an elaborate or public character.
  3. 3
    A live show or concert.
  4. 4
    The amount of useful work accomplished estimated in terms of time needed, resources used, etc.
  5. 5
    The actual use of language in concrete situations by native speakers of a language, as opposed to the system of linguistic knowledge they possess (competence), cf. linguistic performance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the performance of an undertaking or a duty
  2. Though the result wasn't what we were hoping for, I have to commend the performance of the team, never giving up until the end.

Etymology

From Middle English parfourmaunce; equivalent to perform + -ance.

This word in other languages

actuación(Español)exécution(Français)Durchführung(Deutsch)desempenho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprformance
  • pefrormance
  • perfformance
  • perfomrance
  • perforamnce
  • performacne
  • performancce
  • performanec
  • performannce
  • performence
  • performmance
  • performnace
  • perforrmance
  • perfromance
  • perofrmance
  • perrformance
  • pperformance
  • preformance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eprformance2pefrormance2perfformance1perfomrance2perforamnce2performacne2performancce1performanec2
Edit distance from "performance"

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 "performance"?
"performance" is spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is [pəˈfɔː.məns].
What does "performance" mean?
As a noun, "performance" means: The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action.
What are common misspellings of "performance"?
Common misspellings include "eprformance", "pefrormance", "perfformance", "perfomrance", "perforamnce". The correct spelling is "performance".
How do you pronounce "performance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "performance" is [pəˈfɔː.məns]. 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 "performance"?
From Middle English parfourmaunce; equivalent to perform + -ance. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "performance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

development#488association#1,041information#357interesting#1,083

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

relationship18 variantsorganization18 variantsresponsible18 variantsdescription18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list