prevalence

/ˈpɹɛvələns/

//ˈpɹɛvələns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“prevalence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,944. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,944
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality or condition of being prevalent; wide extension or spread.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prevalence · prevalence · English

prevalence · rank #11,944 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,944
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proceeding

Nearest frequency peer: proceeding (+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 “prevalence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prevalence” 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).

prevalence vs prevalent
80% similar

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

Key facts for prevalence
PropertyValue
Headwordprevalence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɛvələns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,944
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prevalence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).prevalencelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “proceeding” (#11,945), “ppl” (#11,942), “pronounce” (#11,946). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prevalence” is #11,944. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around prevalence (IPA /ˈpɹɛvələns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,944 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for prevalence, with forms such as "pervalence", "pprevalence", and "preavlence". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "prevalent", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French prévalence. The correct English form is prevalence, spelled P-R-E-V-A-L-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or condition of being prevalent; wide extension or spread.
  2. 2
    The total number of cases of a disease in a given statistical population at a given time, divided by the number of individuals in that population.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. On Starting Point this morning, Southern Poverty Law Center senior fellow Mark Potok discusses the prevalence of white supremacist groups and explains how this type of music is used as a recruitment tool.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French prévalence.

This word in other languages

prevalencia(Español)prédominance(Français)Vorherrschen(Deutsch)prevalência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pervalence
  • pprevalence
  • preavlence
  • prevaelnce
  • prevalance
  • prevalecne
  • prevalencce
  • prevalenec
  • prevalennce
  • prevallence
  • prevalnece
  • prevlaence
  • prevvalence
  • prrevalence
  • prvealence
  • rpevalence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pervalence2pprevalence1preavlence2prevaelnce2prevalance1prevalecne2prevalencce1prevalenec2
Edit distance from "prevalence"

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 "prevalence"?
"prevalence" is spelled P-R-E-V-A-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛvələns/.
What does "prevalence" mean?
As a noun, "prevalence" means: The quality or condition of being prevalent; wide extension or spread.
What words are commonly confused with "prevalence"?
"prevalence" is commonly confused with "prevalent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prevalence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prevalence" is /ˈpɹɛvələns/. 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 "prevalence"?
Borrowed from Middle French prévalence. 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 "prevalence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proceeding#11,945peripheral#11,936misconduct#11,916imperative#11,901

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

provisional16 variantsdependence16 variantscongestion16 variantsdiscomfort16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list