Tradition

[tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn]

/[tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn]/ noun

The verdict

“Tradition” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,992 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,992
frequency rank, German
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mündlich, schriftlich, erzieherisch oder auf dem Wege des spielerischen Nachahmens erfolgende Weitergabe bestimmter Denkansichten und Verhaltensweisen innerhalb einer dadurch zur 'Kultur' werdenden...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Tradition vs Transition
80% similar
Tradition vs Traditionen
82% similar

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

Key facts for Tradition
PropertyValue
HeadwordTradition
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn]
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,992
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Tradition” sits in German 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). Tradition lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Tradition is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,992 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Tradition, with forms such as "rtadition", "tardition", and "traddition". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Transition", "Traditionen", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Tradition, spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mündlich, schriftlich, erzieherisch oder auf dem Wege des spielerischen Nachahmens erfolgende Weitergabe bestimmter Denkansichten und Verhaltensweisen innerhalb einer dadurch zur 'Kultur' werdenden Gruppe aus sozialen Lebewesen
  2. 2
    die Überlieferung hinsichtlich ihres Inhaltes

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtadition,tardition,traddition,tradiiton,traditino,traditionn,traditoin,tradittion,tradtiion,traidtion,trdaition,trradition,ttradition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Tradition - 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.

rtadition2tardition2traddition1tradiiton2traditino2traditionn1traditoin2tradittion1
Edit distance from "Tradition"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Tradition"?
"Tradition" is spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is [tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn].
What does "Tradition" mean?
As a noun, "Tradition" means: mündlich, schriftlich, erzieherisch oder auf dem Wege des spielerischen Nachahmens erfolgende Weitergabe bestimmter Denkansichten und Verhaltensweisen innerhalb einer dadurch zur 'Kultur' werdenden...
What words are commonly confused with "Tradition"?
"Tradition" is commonly confused with "Transition", "Traditionen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Tradition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Tradition" is [tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Tradition" come from?
"Tradition" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Tradition”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [tʁadiˈt͡si̯oːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Transition” - see the side-by-side comparison. Tradition vs Transition
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list