turbulence

/ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/

//ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns// noun

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

"turbulence" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turbulence” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,040. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,040
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or fact of being turbulent or agitated; tempestuousness, disturbance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turbulence · turbulence · English

turbulence · rank #14,040 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,040
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tuck

Nearest frequency peer: tuck (-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 “turbulence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “turbulence” 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).

turbulence vs turbulent
80% similar

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

Key facts for turbulence
PropertyValue
Headwordturbulence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#14,040
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “turbulence”

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).turbulencelands 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 “tuck” (#14,039), “Ulster” (#14,041), “trailing” (#14,038). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turbulence” is #14,040. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around turbulence (IPA /ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,040 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for turbulence, with forms such as "trubulence", "tturbulence", and "tubrulence". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "turbulent", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English turbulence (“turbidity, cloudiness”), from Late Latin turbulentia (“trouble, disquiet”). By surface analysis, turbulent + -ence. The correct English form is turbulence, spelled T-U-R-B-U-L-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or fact of being turbulent or agitated; tempestuousness, disturbance.
  2. 2
    Disturbance in a gas or fluid, characterized by evidence of internal motion or unrest.
  3. 3
    Specifically, a state of agitation or disturbance in the air which is disruptive to an aircraft.
  4. 4
    An instance or type of such state or disturbance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Turbulence was everywhere, within every blade of grass, every drop of dew on a leaf, every cloud in the sky, and every star beyond. The turbulence was purposeless, but in huge quantities of purposeless turbulence, purpose took shape.
  2. In a brief and abashed Tory conference speech, Kwarteng admitted it had been a “tough day” – hours after rowing back on the tax cut for high earners. He said his economic plan had caused “a little turbulence”.

Etymology

From Middle English turbulence (“turbidity, cloudiness”), from Late Latin turbulentia (“trouble, disquiet”). By surface analysis, turbulent + -ence.

This word in other languages

turbulencia(Español)turbulence(Français)Turbulenz(Deutsch)turbulência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • trubulence
  • tturbulence
  • tubrulence
  • turbbulence
  • turbluence
  • turbuelnce
  • turbulance
  • turbulecne
  • turbulencce
  • turbulenec
  • turbulennce
  • turbullence
  • turbulnece
  • turrbulence
  • turublence
  • utrbulence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

trubulence2tturbulence1tubrulence2turbbulence1turbluence2turbuelnce2turbulance1turbulecne2
Edit distance from "turbulence"

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 "turbulence"?
"turbulence" is spelled T-U-R-B-U-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/.
What does "turbulence" mean?
As a noun, "turbulence" means: The state or fact of being turbulent or agitated; tempestuousness, disturbance.
What words are commonly confused with "turbulence"?
"turbulence" is commonly confused with "turbulent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "turbulence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turbulence" is /ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/. 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 "turbulence"?
From Middle English turbulence (“turbidity, cloudiness”), from Late Latin turbulentia (“trouble, disquiet”). By surface analysis, turbulent + -ence. 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 "turbulence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sustaining#14,033waterproof#14,049administer#14,059admittedly#14,060

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

wonderfully16 variantssentiments16 variantsretaliation16 variantsconcluding16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list