accretion
/əˈkɹiːʃn̩/
"accretion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“accretion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,788 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #37,788
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of matter; organic growth; also, the amount of such growth.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | accretion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈkɹiːʃn̩/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #37,788 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “accretion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for accretion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkɹiːʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,788 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for accretion, with forms such as "accertion", "accreiton", and "accresion". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₂éd Learned borrowing from Latin accrētiō (“increase, increment”) + English -ion (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results). Accrētiō is derived from accrēscō (“to grow, increase”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns denotin… The correct English form is accretion, spelled A-C-C-R-E-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of matter; organic growth; also, the amount of such growth.
- 2(Gradual) increase by an external addition of matter; (countable) an instance of this.
- 3(Gradual) increase by an external addition of matter; (countable) an instance of this.
- 4Followed by of: external addition of matter to a thing which causes it to grow, especially in amount or size.
- 5The process of separate particles aggregating or coalescing together; concretion; (countable) a thing formed in this manner.
- 6The process of separate particles aggregating or coalescing together; concretion; (countable) a thing formed in this manner.
- 7Something gradually added to or growing on a thing externally.
- 8Something gradually added to or growing on a thing externally.
- 9Increase in property by the addition of other property to it (for example, gain of land by alluvion (“the deposition of sediment by a river or sea”) or dereliction (“recession of water from the usual watermark”), or entitlement to the products of the property such as interest on money); or by the property owner acquiring another person’s ownership rights; accession; (countable) an instance of this.
- 10Increase of an inheritance to an heir or legatee due to the share of a co-heir or co-legatee being added to it, because the latter person is legally unable to inherit the share.
Etymology
PIE word *h₂éd Learned borrowing from Latin accrētiō (“increase, increment”) + English -ion (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results). Accrētiō is derived from accrēscō (“to grow, increase”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results); and accrēscō is from ac- (a variant of ad-, prefix meaning ‘to’, or having an intensifying effect) + crēscō (“to grow; to increase”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“to cause to grow; to grow; to nourish”)). Doublet of accrue, crescent, and increase.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: accertion,accreiton,accresion,accretino,accretionn,accretoin,accrettion,accrretion,accrteion,acrcetion,acretion,cacretion
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accretion - 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.
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 "accretion"?
What does "accretion" mean?
What are common misspellings of "accretion"?
How do you pronounce "accretion"?
What is the origin of the word "accretion"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “accretion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-C-R-E-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈkɹiːʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.