reverence
/ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/
"reverence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reverence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,915 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,915
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reverence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #21,915 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reverence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reverence is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,915 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for reverence, with forms such as "erverence", "reevrence", and "reveernce". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "reverend", "reference", "references", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reverence (noun) and reverencen (verb), from Old French reverence and Latin reverentia, from Latin revereor (“I stand in awe, respect, revere”), from re- + vereor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover, heed, notice”). The correct English form is reverence, spelled R-E-V-E-R-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
- 2An act of showing respect, such as a bow.
- 3The state of being revered.
- 4A form of address for some members of the clergy.
- 5That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence; reverend character; dignity; state.
Etymology
From Middle English reverence (noun) and reverencen (verb), from Old French reverence and Latin reverentia, from Latin revereor (“I stand in awe, respect, revere”), from re- + vereor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover, heed, notice”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erverence,reevrence,reveernce,reverance,reverecne,reverencce,reverenec,reverennce,revernece,reverrence,revreence,revverence,rreverence,rveerence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reverence - 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.
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 "reverence"?
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Using “reverence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-V-E-R-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “reverend” - see the side-by-side comparison. reverence vs reverend
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.