adhesion
/ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/noun
adhesion is spelled A-D-H-E-S-I-O-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, adhesion means “The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of adhesion is adhesions.
How many letters and syllables are in adhesion?
| Letters | 8: A-D-H-E-S-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 24,170th 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 adhesion?
Adhesion appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th 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 adhesion?
- UK /ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/
Adhesion 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-adhesion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of adhesion
- adhesions plural
- adhæsion
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adhesion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.
- 2
Persistent attachment or loyalty.
- 3
An agreement to adhere.
- 4
An abnormal union of surface by the formation of new tissue resulting from an inflammatory process.
- 5
The binding of a cell to a surface or substrate.
- 6
The frictional grip on a surface, of wheels, shoes etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adhesion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | adhésion |
| German | Adhäsion, Haftung , Verwachsung |
| Portuguese | adesão, adesividade |
| Spanish | adhesión |
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 adhesion come from?
From French adhésion, from Latin stem of adhaesio, from past participle of adhaerare.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).