Most nouns ending with ‘-ance’ are rare in student work. They are by far most suitable for the advanced levels. Here is a list ranked from most to least frequent in the iWeb corpus.
performance, chance, insurance, balance, distance, maintenance, assistance, importance, appearance, resistance, compliance, guidance, advance, entrance, substance, finance, dance, instance, alliance, attendance, acceptance, significance, clearance, governance, surveillance, tolerance, allowance, abundance, assurance, romance, stance, endurance, glance, fragrance, appliance, ignorance, renaissance, relevance, ambulance, freelance, inheritance, elegance, reliance, dominance, circumstance, variance, resonance, issuance, imbalance, ordinance, avoidance, nuisance, disturbance, disappearance, remembrance, vengeance, impedance, intolerance, brilliance, lance, allegiance, resemblance, repentance, perseverance, arrogance, ambiance, grievance, acquaintance, reassurance, annoyance, reluctance, trance, reconnaissance, fiance, deliverance, observance, defiance, radiance
There are exceptions:
Mixed : FRANCE (NP1) INSTANCE (REX22) ACCORDANCE (II32)
Always verbs: ENHANCE_(VVI_VV0) REFINANCE_(VV0) Adjectives: HIGH-PERFORMANCE (JJ) LONG-DISTANCE (JJ)
Could be noun or verb: ADVANCE_(VVI_NN1_VV0) DANCE_(NN1_VV0_VVI) BALANCE_( VVI_NN1) FINANCE _(NN1_VV0_VVI)