place

/pleɪs/

//pleɪs// noun

"place" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“place” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #187 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#187
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An area; somewhere within an area.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

place vs PLC
0% similar
place vs play
60% similar
place vs plan
60% similar

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

Key facts for place
PropertyValue
Headwordplace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pleɪs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#187
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “place” 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). place lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for place is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pleɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #187 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 23 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for place, with forms such as "lpace", "palce", and "placce". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PLC", "play", "plan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plate… The correct English form is place, spelled P-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  2. 2
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  3. 3
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  4. 4
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  5. 5
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  6. 6
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  7. 7
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  8. 8
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  9. 9
    An area; somewhere within an area.
  10. 10
    A location or position in space.
  11. 11
    A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader
  12. 12
    A passage or extract from a book or document.
  13. 13
    A topic.
  14. 14
    A state of mind.
  15. 15
    A chess position; a square of the chessboard.
  16. 16
    A responsibility or position in an organization.
  17. 17
    A responsibility or position in an organization.
  18. 18
    A responsibility or position in an organization.
  19. 19
    A responsibility or position in an organization.
  20. 20
    A fortified position: a fortress, citadel, or walled town.
  21. 21
    Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity.
  22. 22
    Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding.
  23. 23
    Reception; effect; implying the making room for.

Etymology

From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plateîa hodós, “broad way”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“to spread”), extended form of *pleh₂- (“flat”). Displaced native Old English stōw, stede (partially), and -ern. Compare also English pleck (“plot of ground”), West Frisian plak (“place, spot, location”), Dutch plek (“place, spot, patch”). Doublet of piatza, piazza, and plaza. In the etymological chain from Latin platēa, note Old French place, which has multiple descendants — including German Platz, itself with many descendants (e.g., Russian плац (plac)). Also note a more distant chain node Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), whence English Plato and English plate (via Latin).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpace,palce,placce,plaec,plcae,pllace,pplace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpace2palce2placce1plaec2plcae2pllace1pplace1
Edit distance from "place"

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 "place"?
"place" is spelled P-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pleɪs/.
What does "place" mean?
As a noun, "place" means: An area; somewhere within an area.
What words are commonly confused with "place"?
"place" is commonly confused with "PLC", "play", "plan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "place"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "place" is /pleɪs/. 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 "place"?
From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁ... 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 “place”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-L-A-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pleɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “PLC” - see the side-by-side comparison. place vs PLC
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list