adoption
adop·tion/əˈdɑp.ʃən/noun
adoption is spelled A-D-O-P-T-I-O-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables (adop·tion). It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, adoption means “The act of adopting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of adoption is adoptions.
How many letters and syllables are in adoption?
| Letters | 8: A-D-O-P-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: adop·tion |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,407th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 adoption?
Adoption appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th 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 adoption?
- US /əˈdɑp.ʃən/
- UK /əˈdɒp.ʃən/
Adoption has 2 syllables, split adop·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-adoption.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with adoption?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as adoption from its last stressed vowel (/ɑpʃən/):
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 adoption
- adoptions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adoption mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of adopting.
- 2
The state of being adopted; the acceptance of a child of other parents as if they were one's own child.
A Chinese baby girl was given away for adoption.
- 3
An admission to an institution, for example a hospital, clinic, mental asylum.
the adoption of people into hospitals or monasteries
- 4
The choosing and making that to be one's own which originally was not so; acceptance.
the adoption of opinions
- 5
The act of accepting and putting into effect or practice (a method, proposal, technique, etc.)
Our company is considering the adoption of a four-day week.
- 6
The transfer from an old system to another (usually better) system.
- 7
An act of divine grace by which the redeemed in Christ are admitted to the privileges of the sons of God.
- 8
slangTen consecutive wins against an opponent.
Infuriated by his adoption yesterday, the chess master has resolved to study twice as long and twice as hard.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adoption in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of adopting, or state of being adopted:
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 adoption come from?
Borrowed from French adoption, from Latin adoptio, allied to adoptare (“to adopt”). Equivalent to adopt + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).