accordion

/əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/

//əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən// noun

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

The verdict

“accordion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,649 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#25,649
frequency rank, English
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or ste...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

accordion vs according
78% similar

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

Key facts for accordion
PropertyValue
Headwordaccordion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,649
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “accordion” 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). accordion 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 accordion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,649 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for accordion, with forms such as "accodrion", "accorddion", and "accordino". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "according", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1831. From German Akkordeon, from Akkord (“harmony”), from French accord, from Old French acorder, based on Italian accordare (“to tune”). See also accord. The correct English form is accordion, spelled A-C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).
  2. 2
    A vertical list of items that can be individually expanded and collapsed to reveal their contents.
  3. 3
    Something, or set of things (concepts, etc), which can be expanded (or extended) and collapsed, like the musical instrument's pleated, folding bellows.

Etymology

First attested in 1831. From German Akkordeon, from Akkord (“harmony”), from French accord, from Old French acorder, based on Italian accordare (“to tune”). See also accord.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: accodrion,accorddion,accordino,accordionn,accordoin,accoridon,accorrdion,accrodion,acocrdion,acordion,cacordion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

accodrion2accorddion1accordino2accordionn1accordoin2accoridon2accorrdion1accrodion2
Edit distance from "accordion"

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 "accordion"?
"accordion" is spelled A-C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/.
What does "accordion" mean?
As a noun, "accordion" means: A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or ste...
What words are commonly confused with "accordion"?
"accordion" is commonly confused with "according". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accordion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accordion" is /əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/. 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 "accordion"?
First attested in 1831. From German Akkordeon, from Akkord (“harmony”), from French accord, from Old French acorder, based on Italian accordare (“to tune”). See also accord. 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 “accordion”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “according” - see the side-by-side comparison. accordion vs according
  • 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