valence

/ˈveɪl(ə)ns/

//ˈveɪl(ə)ns// noun

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

"valence" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“valence” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,072. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,072
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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 ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-valence · valence · English

valence · rank #33,072 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,072
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH USP

Nearest frequency peer: USP (-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 “valence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “valence” 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).

valence vs Vance
57% similar
valence vs Valerie
57% similar
valence vs violence
75% similar

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

Key facts for valence
PropertyValue
Headwordvalence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈveɪl(ə)ns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,072
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “valence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).valencelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “USP” (#33,071), “Unitarian” (#33,070), “villager” (#33,074). Among 969 “V” headwords, “valence” is #33,072. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around valence (IPA /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,072 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    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 when it combines with other atoms, etc.
  2. 2
    The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.
  3. 3
    The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less commonly, four.
  4. 4
    A 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).
  5. 5
    The value which a person places on something.
  6. 6
    For a correspondence T on a curve: a number k such that the divisors T(P)+kP are all linearly equivalent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In this assignment you will analyze each of the following sentences and determine the valence of the highlighted verb.
  2. anger and fear have negative valence

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

valencia(Español)valence(Français)Valenz(Deutsch)valência(Português)

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.

avlence2vaelnce2valance1valecne2valencce1valenec2valennce1vallence1
Edit distance from "valence"

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 "valence"?
"valence" is spelled V-A-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/.
What does "valence" mean?
As a noun, "valence" means: 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 ...
What words are commonly confused with "valence"?
"valence" is commonly confused with "Vance", "Valerie", "violence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "valence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "valence" is /ˈveɪl(ə)ns/. 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 "valence"?
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 ... 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 "valence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wetting#33,083titular#33,059thrower#33,055wingman#33,089

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

virtuoso11 variantstrotting11 variantsTennyson11 variantssuccinct11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list