aspersion

noun

"aspersion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aspersion” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An attack on somebody's reputation or good name, often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon….

Corpus desk

Index EN-aspersion · aspersion · English

aspersion · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for aspersion
PropertyValue
Headwordaspersion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “aspersion” in English

aspersionfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

aspersion is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

aspersion doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”). The correct English form is aspersion, spelled A-S-P-E-R-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An attack on somebody's reputation or good name, often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon….
  2. 2
    A sprinkling, especially of holy water.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No criminality can be infered or punishment inflicted, but for writing, printing, uttering, or publishing false, scandalous and malicious aspersions against the government.
  2. Even the comfort of the bottle might conceivably fail him in this supreme crisis. At such an age nothing but a halter could cure the pangs of an unquenchable passion. And, besides, there was the wild exasperation aroused by the unjust aspersions and the contumely of the house, with the maddening impossibility to account for that mysterious thrashing, adde…

Etymology

From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aspersion"?
"aspersion" is spelled A-S-P-E-R-S-I-O-N.
What does "aspersion" mean?
As a noun, "aspersion" means: An attack on somebody's reputation or good name, often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon….
What is the origin of the word "aspersion"?
From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list