potence

Name: potence, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\pɔ.tɑ̃s\

/\pɔ.tɑ̃s\/ noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“potence” has 10 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #32,532. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,532
frequency rank, French: 248,534
“P” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Assemblage de trois pièces de bois ou de fer, dont une est dressée verticalement, une autre est posée horizontalement sur la première, et la troisième soutient l’extrémité de celle-ci.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

potence vs poterie

71% similar

potence vs Provence

63% similar

potence vs ponce

71% similar

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

Key facts for potence
Property	Value
Headword	potence
Language	French
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	\pɔ.tɑ̃s\
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#32,532
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “potence” sits in French frequency

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

#32,532

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around potence (IPA \pɔ.tɑ̃s\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,532 among 248,534 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for potence, with forms such as "optence", "poetnce", and "potecne". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "poterie", "Provence", "ponce", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is potence, spelled P-O-T-E-N-C-E.

Definition

1
Assemblage de trois pièces de bois ou de fer, dont une est dressée verticalement, une autre est posée horizontalement sur la première, et la troisième soutient l’extrémité de celle-ci.
2
Assemblage de trois pièces de bois ou de fer, dont une est dressée verticalement, une autre est posée horizontalement sur la première, et la troisième soutient l’extrémité de celle-ci.
3
Assemblage de trois pièces de bois ou de fer, dont une est dressée verticalement, une autre est posée horizontalement sur la première, et la troisième soutient l’extrémité de celle-ci.
4
Élément d’une bicyclette fixé sur le cadre et sur lequel est monté le cintre.
5
Support à deux branches utilisé pour les perfusions.
6
Poignée fixée au-dessus d’un lit d’hôpital permettant au patient de se soulever.
7
Morceau de bois où pend la bague.
8
Croix en forme de T.
9
Mots horizontal et vertical qui commencent sur la première case (à gauche) de la première ligne, aux mots croisés.

This word in other languages

gallows(English)horca(Español)Galgen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

optence
poetnce
potecne
potencce
potenec
potennce
potnece
pottence
ppotence
ptoence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "potence"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "potence"?

"potence" is spelled P-O-T-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pɔ.tɑ̃s\.

What does "potence" mean?

As a noun, "potence" means: Assemblage de trois pièces de bois ou de fer, dont une est dressée verticalement, une autre est posée horizontalement sur la première, et la troisième soutient l’extrémité de celle-ci.

What words are commonly confused with "potence"?

"potence" is commonly confused with "poterie", "Provence", "ponce". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "potence"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "potence" is \pɔ.tɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "potence" come from?

"potence" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.

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.

Using “potence”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct French spelling is P-O-T-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as \pɔ.tɑ̃s\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “poterie” - see the side-by-side comparison. potence vs poterie
Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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.