suspense

/səˈspɛns/

//səˈspɛns// noun

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

"suspense" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suspense” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,428. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,428
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of being suspended; cessation for a time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suspense · suspense · English

suspense · rank #14,428 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,428
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subset

Nearest frequency peer: subset (-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 “suspense”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suspense” 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).

suspense vs suspend
75% similar
suspense vs suspended
78% similar

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

Key facts for suspense
PropertyValue
Headwordsuspense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈspɛns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,428
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suspense”

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).suspenselands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “subset” (#14,427), “Suzanne” (#14,429), “swearing” (#14,430). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suspense” is #14,428. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around suspense (IPA /səˈspɛns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,428 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for suspense, with forms such as "ssupense", "ssuspense", and "supsense". 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, "suspend", "suspended", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus. The correct English form is suspense, spelled S-U-S-P-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of being suspended; cessation for a time.
  2. 2
    the pleasurable emotion of anticipation and excitement regarding the outcome or climax of a book, film etc.
  3. 3
    The unpleasant emotion of anxiety or apprehension in an uncertain situation.
  4. 4
    A temporary cessation of one's right; suspension, as when the rent or other profits of land cease by unity of possession of land and rent.
  5. 5
    A deadline.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For thee the Fates, severely kind, ordain / A cool suspense from pleasure and from pain; / Thy life a long dead calm of fix'd repose; / No pulse that riots, and no blood that glows.
  2. Ten days the prophet in suspense remain'd.

Etymology

From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus.

This word in other languages

suspensión(Español)suspension(Français)Hängen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ssupense
  • ssuspense
  • supsense
  • susepnse
  • suspenes
  • suspennse
  • suspensse
  • suspesne
  • suspnese
  • susppense
  • susspense
  • usspense

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of suspense - 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.

ssupense2ssuspense1supsense2susepnse2suspenes2suspennse1suspensse1suspesne2
Edit distance from "suspense"

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 "suspense"?
"suspense" is spelled S-U-S-P-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈspɛns/.
What does "suspense" mean?
As a noun, "suspense" means: The condition of being suspended; cessation for a time.
What words are commonly confused with "suspense"?
"suspense" is commonly confused with "suspend", "suspended". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suspense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suspense" is /səˈspɛns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "suspense"?
From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "suspense", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

swearing#14,430strained#14,425staffing#14,422Tasmania#14,436

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

tempered12 variantstertiary12 variantssneakers12 variantsvanguard12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list