addiction
/əˈdɪkˌʃən/
"addiction" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“addiction” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,656 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #5,656
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | addiction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #5,656 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “addiction” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for addiction is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈdɪkˌʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,656 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 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 addiction, with forms such as "addcition", "addicction", and "addiciton". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "addition", "audition", "additions", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From addict + -ion; compare (Latin) addictio (“an adjudging, an award”). The correct English form is addiction, spelled A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences.
- 2The state of being addicted; devotion; inclination.
- 3A habit or practice that damages, jeopardizes or shortens one's life but when ceased causes trauma.
- 4A pathological relationship to mood altering experience that has life damaging consequences.
Etymology
From addict + -ion; compare (Latin) addictio (“an adjudging, an award”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: addcition,addicction,addiciton,addicsion,addictino,addictionn,addictoin,addicttion,additcion,adiction,adidction,dadiction
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of addiction - 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.
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
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Using “addiction”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “addition” - see the side-by-side comparison. addiction vs addition
- 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.