quittance

/ˈkwɪtəns/

//ˈkwɪtəns// noun

"quittance" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A release or acquittal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quittance · quittance · English

quittance · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 quittance
PropertyValue
Headwordquittance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkwɪtəns/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “quittance” in English

quittancesits 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

quittance is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkwɪtəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

quittance has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English quytaunce, from Old French quitance (modern French quittance), from Latin quietantia. The verb is derived from the noun. The correct English form is quittance, spelled Q-U-I-T-T-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A release or acquittal.
  2. 2
    A discharge from a debt or obligation; a document that shows this discharge.
  3. 3
    Recompense; return; repayment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I marvel why I answer’d not again; But that’s all one: omittance is no quittance.
  2. Qu[een]. Ah Mortimer! now breaks the kings hate forth, And he confesseth that he loues me not. Mor[timer] iu[nior]. Crie quittance Madam then, & loue not him.

Etymology

From Middle English quytaunce, from Old French quitance (modern French quittance), from Latin quietantia. The verb is derived from the noun.

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 "quittance"?
"quittance" is spelled Q-U-I-T-T-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɪtəns/.
What does "quittance" mean?
As a noun, "quittance" means: A release or acquittal.
How do you pronounce "quittance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quittance" is /ˈkwɪtəns/. 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 "quittance"?
From Middle English quytaunce, from Old French quitance (modern French quittance), from Latin quietantia. The verb is derived from the noun. 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