sphere of influence

noun

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

"sphere-of-influence" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
19
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A spatial region over which a state has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity.

Key facts for sphere of influence
PropertyValue
Headwordsphere of influence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters19
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sphere of influence” sits in English frequency

sphere of influence falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sphere of influence is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sphere of influence in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: In reference to Anglo-German colonial rivalry in Africa. First use appears c. 1885. The correct English form is sphere of influence, spelled S-P-H-E-R-E- -O-F- -I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spatial region over which a state has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity.
  2. 2
    A concept division over which a person, organization, etc. exerts control.

Etymology

In reference to Anglo-German colonial rivalry in Africa. First use appears c. 1885.

This word in other languages

sphère d'influence(Français)Einflussbereich(Deutsch)

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 "sphere of influence"?
"sphere of influence" is spelled S-P-H-E-R-E- -O-F- -I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E.
What does "sphere of influence" mean?
As a noun, "sphere of influence" means: A spatial region over which a state has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity.
What is the origin of the word "sphere of influence"?
In reference to Anglo-German colonial rivalry in Africa. First use appears c. 1885. 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.

Using “sphere of influence”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-H-E-R-E- -O-F- -I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list