variance

/ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns/

//ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns// noun

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

"variance" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“variance” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,158. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,158
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of varying or the state of being variable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-variance · variance · English

variance · rank #16,158 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,158
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH USS

Nearest frequency peer: USS (-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 “variance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “variance” 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).

variance vs variant
75% similar
variance vs variants
75% similar
variance vs variable
75% similar

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

Key facts for variance
PropertyValue
Headwordvariance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,158
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “variance”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).variancelands 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 “USS” (#16,157), “vested” (#16,159), “USDA” (#16,156). Among 969 “V” headwords, “variance” is #16,158. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around variance (IPA /ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,158 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for variance, with forms such as "avriance", "vairance", and "varaince". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "variant", "variants", "variable", 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 variance, variaunce, equivalent to vary + -ance, from Old French variance or directly from Anglo-Latin variaunce, veriaunce, wariaunce; all from Latin variantia. The correct English form is variance, spelled V-A-R-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of varying or the state of being variable.
  2. 2
    A difference between what is expected and what is observed; deviation.
  3. 3
    The state of differing or being in conflict.
  4. 4
    An official permit to do something that is ordinarily forbidden by regulations.
  5. 5
    A discrepancy between two legal documents.
  6. 6
    A departure from a cause of action originally in a complaint.
  7. 7
    The second central moment in probability; the square of the standard deviation.
  8. 8
    The number of degrees of freedom in a system.
  9. 9
    Covariance and contravariance generally.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Certain other factors were considered to explain the variance from expected figures. All seven aviators smoked. Each considered himself to be in good physical condition, though none found the time to exercise regularly. No aviator was obese.
  2. This remains an important tool and relies on simple subtraction to evaluate the difference ( variance ) between a planned result and an actual measurement.

Etymology

From Middle English variance, variaunce, equivalent to vary + -ance, from Old French variance or directly from Anglo-Latin variaunce, veriaunce, wariaunce; all from Latin variantia.

This word in other languages

varianza(Español)variance(Français)Varianz(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avriance
  • vairance
  • varaince
  • variacne
  • variancce
  • varianec
  • variannce
  • varience
  • varinace
  • varriance
  • vraiance
  • vvariance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

avriance2vairance2varaince2variacne2variancce1varianec2variannce1varience1
Edit distance from "variance"

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 "variance"?
"variance" is spelled V-A-R-I-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns/.
What does "variance" mean?
As a noun, "variance" means: The act of varying or the state of being variable.
What words are commonly confused with "variance"?
"variance" is commonly confused with "variant", "variants", "variable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "variance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "variance" is /ˈvɛə.ɹi.əns/. 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 "variance"?
From Middle English variance, variaunce, equivalent to vary + -ance, from Old French variance or directly from Anglo-Latin variaunce, veriaunce, wariaunce; all from Latin variantia. 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 "variance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

workload#16,166swimmers#16,146stripper#16,142blending#16,182

Similar misspelling depth

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

soothing12 variantscafeteria12 variantsSemitism12 variantsCaucasian12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list