trance

/tɹɑːns/

//tɹɑːns// noun

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

"trance" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trance” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,296. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,296
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dazed or unconscious condition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trance · trance · English

trance · rank #15,296 · 10 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,296
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH traveller

Nearest frequency peer: traveller (+2 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 “trance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “trance” 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).

trance vs trans
67% similar
trance vs truce
67% similar
trance vs trench
67% similar

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

Key facts for trance
PropertyValue
Headwordtrance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹɑːns/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,296
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “trance”

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).trancelands 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 “traveller” (#15,298), “teller” (#15,292), “unconditional” (#15,300). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trance” is #15,296. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around trance (IPA /tɹɑːns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,296 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for trance, with forms such as "rtance", "tarnce", and "tracne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "trans", "truce", "trench", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English traunce, from Anglo-Norman transe (“fear of coming evil; passage from life to death”), from transir (“to be numb with fear; to die, pass on”), from Latin trānseō (“to cross over”). The correct English form is trance, spelled T-R-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dazed or unconscious condition.
  2. 2
    A state of awareness, concentration, or focus that filters experience and information (for example, a state of meditation or possession by some being).
  3. 3
    A state of low response to stimulus and diminished, narrow attention; particularly one induced by hypnosis.
  4. 4
    Ellipsis of trance music (“genre of electronic dance music”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And he became very hungry, and would have eaten; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance.
  2. My soul was ravished quite as in a trance.

Etymology

From Middle English traunce, from Anglo-Norman transe (“fear of coming evil; passage from life to death”), from transir (“to be numb with fear; to die, pass on”), from Latin trānseō (“to cross over”).

This word in other languages

trance(Español)trance(Français)Trance(Deutsch)desmaio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtance
  • tarnce
  • tracne
  • trancce
  • tranec
  • trannce
  • trence
  • trnace
  • trrance
  • ttrance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtance2tarnce2tracne2trancce1tranec2trannce1trence1trnace2
Edit distance from "trance"

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 "trance"?
"trance" is spelled T-R-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɑːns/.
What does "trance" mean?
As a noun, "trance" means: A dazed or unconscious condition.
What words are commonly confused with "trance"?
"trance" is commonly confused with "trans", "truce", "trench". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trance" is /tɹɑːns/. 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 "trance"?
From Middle English traunce, from Anglo-Norman transe (“fear of coming evil; passage from life to death”), from transir (“to be numb with fear; to die, pass on”), from Latin trānseō (“to cross over”). 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 "trance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

teller#15,292techno#15,291tariff#15,290weaken#15,305

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

stacks10 variantsabolish10 variantsaccessing10 variantsalarmed10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list