presence

/ˈpɹɛzn̩s/

//ˈpɹɛzn̩s// noun

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

"presence" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“presence” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,914. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,914
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The fact or condition of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand.

Corpus desk

Index EN-presence · presence · English

presence · rank #1,914 · 13 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,914
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH port

Nearest frequency peer: port (-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 “presence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “presence” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

presence vs present
75% similar
presence vs presents
75% similar
presence vs preserve
75% similar

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

Key facts for presence
PropertyValue
Headwordpresence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɛzn̩s/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,914
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “presence”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).presencelands 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 “port” (#1,913), “reaction” (#1,915), “orders” (#1,912). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “presence” is #1,914. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around presence (IPA /ˈpɹɛzn̩s/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,914 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for presence, with forms such as "persence", "ppresence", and "preesnce". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "present", "presents", "preserve", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Through Old French presence, from Latin praesentia (“a being present”), from praesentem. Displaced native Old English andweardnes. The correct English form is presence, spelled P-R-E-S-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fact or condition of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand.
  2. 2
    The part of space within one's immediate vicinity.
  3. 3
    A quality of poise and effectiveness that enables a performer to achieve a close relationship with their audience.
  4. 4
    A quality that sets an individual out from others; a quality that makes them noticed and/or admired even if they are not speaking or performing.
  5. 5
    Something (as a spirit) felt or believed to be present.
  6. 6
    A company's business activity in a particular market.
  7. 7
    An assembly of great persons.
  8. 8
    The state of being closely focused on the here and now, not distracted by irrelevant thoughts.
  9. 9
    Synonym of room tone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Any painter can benefit from the presence of a live model from which to draw.
  2. Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations. It is easily earned repetition to state that Josephine St. Auban's was a presence not to be concealed.

Etymology

Through Old French presence, from Latin praesentia (“a being present”), from praesentem. Displaced native Old English andweardnes.

Antonyms

absencemissingness

This word in other languages

presencia(Español)présence(Français)Anwesenheit(Deutsch)presença(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • persence
  • ppresence
  • preesnce
  • presance
  • presecne
  • presencce
  • presenec
  • presennce
  • presnece
  • pressence
  • prresence
  • prseence
  • rpesence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

persence2ppresence1preesnce2presance1presecne2presencce1presenec2presennce1
Edit distance from "presence"

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 "presence"?
"presence" is spelled P-R-E-S-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛzn̩s/.
What does "presence" mean?
As a noun, "presence" means: The fact or condition of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand.
What words are commonly confused with "presence"?
"presence" is commonly confused with "present", "presents", "preserve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "presence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "presence" is /ˈpɹɛzn̩s/. 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 "presence"?
Through Old French presence, from Latin praesentia (“a being present”), from praesentem. Displaced native Old English andweardnes. 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 "presence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reaction#1,915mountain#1,910medicine#1,908citizens#1,930

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

afternoon13 variantsdecisions13 variantsstrategy13 variantssomewhere13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list