severance
/ˈsɛv.ɹəns/
"severance" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“severance” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,670 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,670
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of severing or the state of being severed.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | severance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛv.ɹəns/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #23,670 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “severance” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for severance is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛv.ɹəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,670 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 severance, with forms such as "esverance", "seevrance", and "sevearnce". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: English sever + -ance, from Middle English severaunce, from Anglo-Norman, Old French sevrance, from sevrer. The correct English form is severance, spelled S-E-V-E-R-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The act of severing or the state of being severed.
- 2A separation.
- 3A severance payment.
Etymology
English sever + -ance, from Middle English severaunce, from Anglo-Norman, Old French sevrance, from sevrer.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: esverance,seevrance,sevearnce,severacne,severancce,severanec,severannce,severence,severnace,severrance,sevreance,sevverance,sseverance,sveerance
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of severance - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "severance"?
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Using “severance”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-V-E-R-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɛv.ɹəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.