utterance

/ˈʌtəɹəns/

//ˈʌtəɹəns// noun

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

"utterance" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“utterance” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,951
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of, or the process of, uttering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-utterance · utterance · English

utterance · rank #40,951 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #40,951
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH urination

Nearest frequency peer: urination (-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 “utterance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “utterance” 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).

utterance vs utterances
90% similar

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

Key facts for utterance
PropertyValue
Headwordutterance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌtəɹəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#40,951
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “utterance”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).utterancelands 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 “urination” (#40,950), “valedictorian” (#40,952), “unwashed” (#40,949). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “utterance” is #40,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around utterance (IPA /ˈʌtəɹəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,951 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for utterance, with forms such as "tuterance", "uterance", and "utetrance". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "utterances", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English utteraunce, outeraunce; equivalent to utter + -ance. The correct English form is utterance, spelled U-T-T-E-R-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of, or the process of, uttering.
  2. 2
    An instance of that act or process: especially, something spoken (e.g., syllables, words, phrases); (especially linguistics) any such thing either spoken or written.
  3. 3
    The ability to speak.
  4. 4
    A manner of speaking.
  5. 5
    A sale made by offering to the public.
  6. 6
    An act of putting in circulation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. at length gave utterance to these words
  2. July 1857, The Imagination in Mathematics", in The North American Review Mathematics and Poetry are … the utterance of the same power of imagination, only that in the one case it is addressed to the head, in the other, to the heart.

Etymology

From Middle English utteraunce, outeraunce; equivalent to utter + -ance.

This word in other languages

enunciado(Español)articulation(Français)Äußerung(Deutsch)expressão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tuterance
  • uterance
  • utetrance
  • uttearnce
  • utteracne
  • utterancce
  • utteranec
  • utterannce
  • utterence
  • utternace
  • utterrance
  • uttreance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of utterance - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

tuterance2uterance1utetrance2uttearnce2utteracne2utterancce1utteranec2utterannce1
Edit distance from "utterance"

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 "utterance"?
"utterance" is spelled U-T-T-E-R-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌtəɹəns/.
What does "utterance" mean?
As a noun, "utterance" means: An act of, or the process of, uttering.
What words are commonly confused with "utterance"?
"utterance" is commonly confused with "utterances". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "utterance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "utterance" is /ˈʌtəɹəns/. 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 "utterance"?
From Middle English utteraunce, outeraunce; equivalent to utter + -ance. 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 "utterance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

urination#40,950unselfish#40,946trainings#40,933tightrope#40,927

Similar misspelling depth

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

unwashed12 variantsunsavory12 variantsabsorber12 variantssriracha12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list