self-reliance

noun

"self-reliance" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities, and to manage one's own affairs; independence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-self-reliance · self-reliance · English

self-reliance · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" 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 self-reliance
PropertyValue
Headwordself-reliance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “self-reliance” in English

self-reliancesits 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

self-reliance is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities, and to manage one's own affairs; independence.".

Zero misspellings are on record for self-reliance in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From self- + reliance. The correct English form is self-reliance, spelled S-E-L-F---R-E-L-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities, and to manage one's own affairs; independence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Loss of self-reliance leads to loss of self-confidence.
  2. The present sorrow always exceeds its predecessors—not so the present joy; comparison exaggerates the one, while it diminishes the other; and people talk of their youth as if it had not been a period of feverish sensitiveness, awkward embarrassments, many heart-burnings, and an utter want of that self-reliance which alone can ensure content.

Etymology

From self- + reliance.

This word in other languages

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 "self-reliance"?
"self-reliance" is spelled S-E-L-F---R-E-L-I-A-N-C-E.
What does "self-reliance" mean?
As a noun, "self-reliance" means: The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities, and to manage one's own affairs; independence.
What is the origin of the word "self-reliance"?
From self- + reliance. 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