valence
/ˈveɪl(ə)ns/
"valence" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“valence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,072 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #33,072
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite, or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share ...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | valence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #33,072 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “valence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for valence is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,072 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for valence, with forms such as "avlence", "vaelnce", and "valance". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Vance", "Valerie", "violence", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology 1 sense 1.1 (“combining capacity of an atom”) and etymology 1 sense 3 (“one-dimensional value assigned by a person to an object, situation, or state”) are borrowed from German Valenz + English -ence (suffix meaning ‘having the condition or state o… The correct English form is valence, spelled V-A-L-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite, or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share when it combines with other atoms, etc.
- 2The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.
- 3The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less commonly, four.
- 4A one-dimensional value assigned by a person to an object, situation, or state, that can usually be positive (causing a feeling of attraction) or negative (repulsion).
- 5The value which a person places on something.
- 6For a correspondence T on a curve: a number k such that the divisors T(P)+kP are all linearly equivalent.
Etymology
Etymology 1 sense 1.1 (“combining capacity of an atom”) and etymology 1 sense 3 (“one-dimensional value assigned by a person to an object, situation, or state”) are borrowed from German Valenz + English -ence (suffix meaning ‘having the condition or state of’). Valenz is a clipping of Quantivalenz (“(archaic) valence in chemistry”), from English quantivalence, from Latin quantus (“how much”) + English -i- (interfix inserted between morphemes of Latin origin for ease of pronunciation) + Latin valentia (“bodily strength; health; vigour”) (whence Late Middle English valence (“medicinal preparation made from plants”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”)). Quantivalence was coined by F. O. Ward who communicated it to the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818–1892), leading him to coin the German word Quantivalenz. Doublet of value. Etymology 1 sense 2 (“number of arguments a verb can have”) was formed by analogy to the use of the word in chemistry: see above.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: avlence,vaelnce,valance,valecne,valencce,valenec,valennce,vallence,valnece,vlaence,vvalence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of valence - 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.
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
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Using “valence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-A-L-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Vance” - see the side-by-side comparison. valence vs Vance
- 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.