accession

/ækˈsɛʃ.ən/

//ækˈsɛʃ.ən// noun

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

"accession" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accession” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,067 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,067
frequency rank, English
9
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A coming to; the act of acceding and becoming joined.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

accession vs ascension
78% similar
accession vs accessing
78% similar

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

Key facts for accession
PropertyValue
Headwordaccession
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ækˈsɛʃ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,067
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “accession” sits in English 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). accession 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 English entry for accession is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ækˈsɛʃ.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,067 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for accession, with forms such as "accesion", "accesison", and "accessino". 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, "ascension", "accessing", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Latin accessiō(n), from accēdō (English accede). Cognate to French accession. First attested in 1646. The correct English form is accession, spelled A-C-C-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A coming to; the act of acceding and becoming joined.
  2. 2
    Increase by something added; that which is added; augmentation from without.
  3. 3
    Increase by something added; that which is added; augmentation from without.
  4. 4
    A mode of acquiring property, by which the owner of a corporeal substance which receives an addition by growth, or by labor, has a right to the part or thing added, or the improvement (provided the thing is not changed into a different species).
  5. 5
    The act by which one power becomes party to engagements already in force between other powers.
  6. 6
    The act of coming to or reaching a throne, an office, or dignity.
  7. 7
    The invasion, approach, or commencement of a disease; a fit or paroxysm.
  8. 8
    Agreement.
  9. 9
    Access; admittance.
  10. 10
    A group of plants of the same species collected at a single location, often held in genebanks.
  11. 11
    Complicity, concurrence or assent in some action.

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin accessiō(n), from accēdō (English accede). Cognate to French accession. First attested in 1646.

This word in other languages

ascenso(Español)accession(Français)Beitritt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: accesion,accesison,accessino,accessionn,accessoin,accestion,accsesion,acecssion,acession,cacession

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accession - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

accesion1accesison2accessino2accessionn1accessoin2accestion1accsesion2acecssion2
Edit distance from "accession"

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 "accession"?
"accession" is spelled A-C-C-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ækˈsɛʃ.ən/.
What does "accession" mean?
As a noun, "accession" means: A coming to; the act of acceding and becoming joined.
What words are commonly confused with "accession"?
"accession" is commonly confused with "ascension", "accessing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accession"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accession" is /ækˈsɛʃ.ən/. 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 "accession"?
Ultimately from Latin accessiō(n), from accēdō (English accede). Cognate to French accession. First attested in 1646. 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.

Using “accession”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-C-E-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ækˈsɛʃ.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ascension” - see the side-by-side comparison. accession vs ascension
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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