adhesion

/ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/

//ˌædˈhiː.ʒən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"adhesion" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adhesion” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,077. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,077
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adhesion · adhesion · English

adhesion · rank #24,077 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,077
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH actin

Nearest frequency peer: actin (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “adhesion”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “adhesion” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

adhesion vs adhesive
75% similar

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

Key facts for adhesion
PropertyValue
Headwordadhesion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,077
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adhesion”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).adhesionlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “actin” (#24,076), “Adnan” (#24,078), “Allie” (#24,079). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adhesion” is #24,077. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around adhesion (IPA /ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,077 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for adhesion, with forms such as "addhesion", "adehsion", and "adheison". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "adhesive", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French adhésion, from Latin stem of adhaesio, from past participle of adhaerare. The correct English form is adhesion, spelled A-D-H-E-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.
  2. 2
    Persistent attachment or loyalty.
  3. 3
    An agreement to adhere.
  4. 4
    An abnormal union of surface by the formation of new tissue resulting from an inflammatory process.
  5. 5
    The binding of a cell to a surface or substrate.
  6. 6
    The frictional grip on a surface, of wheels, shoes etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how adhesion appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [N]o waver in Judgment, have I, though Gods mercy, ever been; but a conſtant aſſertor of, and ſufferer for my ſatisfiedneſs in, and adheſion to, the piety and probity of my breeding and belief, vvhich vvas ever, yet is, and I hope, through Gods grace, to death ſhall be, in point of Religion according to the Doctrine and Diſcipline of the Church of England.
  2. Who doubts that the fineing, whipping, torturing, hanging, embowelling of men, women, and children, guilty of no other crime than adhesion to the Catholic faith, had assisted the Pope and Philip, and their band of English, Scotch, and Irish conspirators, to shake Elizabeth's throne and endanger her life?

Etymology

From French adhésion, from Latin stem of adhaesio, from past participle of adhaerare.

Antonyms

cohesion

This word in other languages

adhesión(Español)adhésion(Français)Adhäsion(Deutsch)adesão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addhesion
  • adehsion
  • adheison
  • adhesino
  • adhesionn
  • adhesoin
  • adhession
  • adhetion
  • adhhesion
  • adhseion
  • ahdesion
  • dahesion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adhesion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

addhesion1adehsion2adheison2adhesino2adhesionn1adhesoin2adhession1adhetion1
Edit distance from "adhesion"

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 "adhesion"?
"adhesion" is spelled A-D-H-E-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/.
What does "adhesion" mean?
As a noun, "adhesion" means: The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.
What words are commonly confused with "adhesion"?
"adhesion" is commonly confused with "adhesive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adhesion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adhesion" is /ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/. 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 "adhesion"?
From French adhésion, from Latin stem of adhaesio, from past participle of adhaerare. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "adhesion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Xinjiang#24,064wounding#24,061Castillo#24,108chastity#24,110

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

atrocious12 variantsunifying12 variantschromium12 variantsclaimant12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list