# apprehension

> English word · Noun · IPA /æp.ɹɪˈhɛn.ʃən/ · frequency rank #25,662

## Definitions
1. The physical act of seizing or taking hold of (something); seizing.
2. The act of seizing or taking by legal process; arrest.
3. Perception; the act of understanding using one's intellect without affirming, denying, or passing any judgment
4. Opinion; conception; sentiment; idea.
5. The faculty by which ideas are conceived or by which perceptions are grasped; understanding.
6. Anticipation, especially of unfavorable things such as dread or fear or the prospect of something unpleasant in the future.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin apprehensio, apprehensionis, compare with French appréhension. See apprehend.

## Easily confused with
- **apprehensive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apprehension-vs-apprehensive)

## Common misspellings (17)
`apperhension`, `appreehnsion`, `apprehenison`, `apprehennsion`, `apprehensino`, `apprehensionn`, `apprehensoin`, `apprehenssion`, `apprehention`, `apprehesnion`, `apprehhension`, `apprehnesion`, `apprheension`, `apprrehension`, `aprehension`, `aprpehension`, `paprehension`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/apprehension