accretion
ac·cret·ion/əˈkɹiʃən/noun
accretion is spelled A-C-C-R-E-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables (ac·cret·ion). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, accretion means “Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of matter; organic growth; also, the amount of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of accretion is accretions.
How many letters and syllables are in accretion?
| Letters | 9: A-C-C-R-E-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ac·cret·ion |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is accretion?
Accretion appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce accretion?
- UK /əˈkɹiːʃn̩/
- US /əˈkɹiʃən/
Accretion has 3 syllables, split ac·cret·ion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-accretion.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-accretion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with accretion?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as accretion from its last stressed vowel (/iʃən/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: anorectic.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of accretion
- accretions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does accretion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
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.
- 2
(Gradual) increase by an external addition of matter; (countable) an instance of this.
Near-synonym: accumulation
- 3
The process by which material is added to a geological feature; specifically, to a tectonic plate at a subduction zone.
- 4
Followed by of: external addition of matter to a thing which causes it to grow, especially in amount or size.
- 5
The process of separate particles aggregating or coalescing together; concretion; (countable) a thing formed in this manner.
The accretion of particles forms a solid mass.
- 6
The formation of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies by the aggregating of matter drawn together by gravity; also, the growth of a celestial body through this process.
- 7
Something gradually added to or growing on a thing externally.
accretion of ice
- 8
A substance which has built up on the surface of an object, rather than become embedded in it.
Accretions of dirt on clothing are often left in place by conservators because they can provide additional details about the artefact’s importance or history.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Accretion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | accrétion , accroissement |
| German | Zunahme , Anwachsen, Zuwachs , Akkretion |
| Portuguese | acreção |
| Spanish | acreción, acrecencia , acrecimiento |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does accretion come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).