variance / variants are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇
variance: (noun) the second moment around the mean; the expected value of the square of the deviations of a random variable from its mean value. (noun) an official dispensation to act contrary to a rule or regulation (typically a building regulation).
variants: NA
variance: v·EH·r·iy·ah·n·s
variants: v·EH·r·iy·ah·n·t·s
(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)