references

/ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz/

//ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“references” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,524. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,524
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of reference

Corpus desk

Index EN-references · references · English

references · rank #3,524 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,524
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rarely

Nearest frequency peer: rarely (-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 “references”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “references” 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).

references vs reverence
80% similar
references vs reference
90% similar

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

Key facts for references
PropertyValue
Headwordreferences
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,524
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “references”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).referenceslands 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 “rarely” (#3,523), “sexy” (#3,525), “racist” (#3,522). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “references” is #3,524. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around references (IPA /ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,524 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of reference".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for references, with forms such as "erferences", "reefrences", and "refeernces". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "reverence", "reference", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is references, spelled R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of reference

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erferences
  • reefrences
  • refeernces
  • referecnes
  • referencces
  • referencess
  • referencse
  • referenecs
  • referennces
  • referneces
  • referrences
  • refferences
  • refreences
  • rfeerences
  • rreferences

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of references - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

erferences2reefrences2refeernces2referecnes2referencces1referencess1referencse2referenecs2
Edit distance from "references"

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 "references"?
"references" is spelled R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz/.
What does "references" mean?
As a noun, "references" means: plural of reference
What words are commonly confused with "references"?
"references" is commonly confused with "reverence", "reference". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "references"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "references" is /ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹən.sɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "references" come from?
"references" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "references", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

principles#3,521industries#3,501electrical#3,485afterwards#3,463

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

contracts15 variantscontaining15 variantspotentially15 variantssubsequent15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list