affliction

/əˈflɪk.ʃən/

//əˈflɪk.ʃən// noun

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

"affliction" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“affliction” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,975. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,975
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-affliction · affliction · English

affliction · rank #24,975 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,975
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH affectionately

Nearest frequency peer: affectionately (-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 “affliction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “affliction” 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).

affliction vs affection
80% similar
affliction vs affiliation
82% similar

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

Key facts for affliction
PropertyValue
Headwordaffliction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈflɪk.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#24,975
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “affliction”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “affectionately” (#24,974), “Aguero” (#24,976), “adoration” (#24,973). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “affliction” is #24,975. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around affliction (IPA /əˈflɪk.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,975 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for affliction, with forms such as "affilction", "afflcition", and "afflicction". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "affection", "affiliation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem, from affligere, whence English afflict. The correct English form is affliction, spelled A-F-F-L-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.
  2. 2
    Something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]
  2. She wore a man's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a young soldier) [...]

Etymology

From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem, from affligere, whence English afflict.

This word in other languages

aflicción(Español)affliction(Français)Leiden(Deutsch)aflição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • affilction
  • afflcition
  • afflicction
  • affliciton
  • afflicsion
  • afflictino
  • afflictionn
  • afflictoin
  • afflicttion
  • afflitcion
  • afflliction
  • aflfiction
  • afliction
  • fafliction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of affliction - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

affilction2afflcition2afflicction1affliciton2afflicsion1afflictino2afflictionn1afflictoin2
Edit distance from "affliction"

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 "affliction"?
"affliction" is spelled A-F-F-L-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈflɪk.ʃən/.
What does "affliction" mean?
As a noun, "affliction" means: A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.
What words are commonly confused with "affliction"?
"affliction" is commonly confused with "affection", "affiliation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "affliction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affliction" is /əˈflɪk.ʃən/. 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 "affliction"?
From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem, from affligere, whence English afflict. 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 "affliction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abundantly#24,971Armageddon#24,983Warrington#24,952conspiring#25,017

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

surcharge14 variantsstockpile14 variantsSpielberg14 variantsschematic14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list