valley

/ˈvæli/

//ˈvæli// noun

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

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

The verdict

“valley” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,974. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,974
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-valley · valley · English

valley · rank #1,974 · 7 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,974
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH useful

Nearest frequency peer: useful (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “valley”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “valley” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

valley vs value
67% similar
valley vs valve
67% similar
valley vs ville
67% similar

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

Key facts for valley
PropertyValue
Headwordvalley
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvæli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,974
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “valley” sits in English frequency

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).valleylands 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 “useful” (#1,973), “watched” (#1,975), “upper” (#1,972). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around valley (IPA /ˈvæli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,974 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for valley, with forms such as "avlley", "valely", and "valey". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "value", "valve", "ville", 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 valeye, valey, from Anglo-Norman valey, Old French valee (compare French vallée), from Latin vallēs/vallis. Doublet of vlei and vly. Displaced native dene, from dene and partially displaced native dale, from dæl. The correct English form is valley, spelled V-A-L-L-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.
  2. 2
    An area which drains itself into a river.
  3. 3
    Any structure resembling one, e.g. the interior angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Indus River valley was the site of an ancient civilization.
  2. [I]t sank down through the air and poured over the ground in a manner rather liquid than gaseous, abandoning the hills, and streaming into the valleys and ditches and water-courses even as I have heard the carbonic acid gas that pours from volcanic clefts is wont to do.

Etymology

From Middle English valeye, valey, from Anglo-Norman valey, Old French valee (compare French vallée), from Latin vallēs/vallis. Doublet of vlei and vly. Displaced native dene, from dene and partially displaced native dale, from dæl.

Synonyms

valleycombedaledellsladevale

Antonyms

levée

This word in other languages

valle(Español)vallée(Français)Senke(Deutsch)vale(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avlley
  • valely
  • valey
  • valleyy
  • vallye
  • vlaley
  • vvalley

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of valley - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

avlley2valely2valey1valleyy1vallye2vlaley2vvalley1
Edit distance from "valley"

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 "valley"?
"valley" is spelled V-A-L-L-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvæli/.
What does "valley" mean?
As a noun, "valley" means: An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.
What words are commonly confused with "valley"?
"valley" is commonly confused with "value", "valve", "ville". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "valley"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "valley" is /ˈvæli/. 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 "valley"?
From Middle English valeye, valey, from Anglo-Norman valey, Old French valee (compare French vallée), from Latin vallēs/vallis. Doublet of vlei and vly. Displaced native dene, from dene and partially displaced native dale, from dæl. 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 "valley", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

useful#1,973toward#1,970awards#1,984proper#1,961

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

shape7 variantscheap7 variantsplane7 variantsjoint7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "valley". Here's where to go from here.

  • "valley" maps to 13 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "value". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,974 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "V" letter cohort. V–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list