addiction
/əˈdɪkˌʃən/noun
addiction is spelled A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, addiction means “A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of addiction is addictions.
How many letters and syllables are in addiction?
| Letters | 9: A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is addiction?
Addiction appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th 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 addiction?
- /əˈdɪkˌʃən/
Addiction has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-addiction.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of addiction
- addictions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does addiction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences.
- 2
The state of being addicted; devotion; inclination.
- 3
A habit or practice that damages, jeopardizes or shortens one's life but when ceased causes trauma.
- 4
A pathological relationship to mood altering experience that has life damaging consequences.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Addiction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the state of being addicted:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dépendance, addiction |
| German | Abhängigkeit, Sucht |
| Portuguese | vício, adicção |
| Spanish | adicción, vicio, dependencia |
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 addiction come from?
From addict + -ion; compare (Latin) addictio (“an adjudging, an award”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).