quiescence

/kwiˈɛsəns/

//kwiˈɛsəns// noun

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

The verdict

“quiescence” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being quiescent; dormancy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quiescence · quiescence · English

quiescence · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Q" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for quiescence
PropertyValue
Headwordquiescence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kwiˈɛsəns/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “quiescence” in English

quiescencesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quiescence is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kwiˈɛsəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for quiescence, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From quiescent + -ence, or borrowed from Latin quiescentia, from quiescens, present participle of quiesco, from quies. The correct English form is quiescence, spelled Q-U-I-E-S-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being quiescent; dormancy.
  2. 2
    Being at rest, quiet, still, inactive or motionless.
  3. 3
    The action of bringing something to rest or making it quiescent; the action of coming to rest or to a quiescent state.
  4. 4
    The period when a cell is in a term of no growth and no division.
  5. 5
    In insects, a temporary slowing down of metabolism and development in response to adverse environmental conditions, which, unlike diapause, does not involve physiological changes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Old Faithful is sometimes degraded by being made a laundry. Garments placed in the crater during quiescence are ejected thoroughly washed when the eruption takes place.
  2. The man does not theologize; he does not contemplate; he does not envision the full possibilities of the occasion. His one act is belly-oriented, and it is an act of quiescence, not of initiative.

Etymology

From quiescent + -ence, or borrowed from Latin quiescentia, from quiescens, present participle of quiesco, from quies.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "quiescence"?
"quiescence" is spelled Q-U-I-E-S-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kwiˈɛsəns/.
What does "quiescence" mean?
As a noun, "quiescence" means: The state of being quiescent; dormancy.
How do you pronounce "quiescence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quiescence" is /kwiˈɛsəns/. 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 "quiescence"?
From quiescent + -ence, or borrowed from Latin quiescentia, from quiescens, present participle of quiesco, from quies. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list