attraction

/əˈtɹækʃn̩/

//əˈtɹækʃn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“attraction” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,937 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,937
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The tendency to attract.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

attraction vs attrition
80% similar
attraction vs attractive
80% similar
attraction vs abstraction
82% similar

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

Key facts for attraction
PropertyValue
Headwordattraction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈtɹækʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,937
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “attraction” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for attraction is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈtɹækʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,937 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for attraction, with forms such as "atraction", "atrtaction", and "attarction". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "attrition", "attractive", "abstraction", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ-der.? Latin trahō Latin attrahō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin attractiōder. Old French attractionbor. Middl… The correct English form is attraction, spelled A-T-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tendency to attract.
  2. 2
    The feeling of being attracted (to something).
  3. 3
    The feeling of being attracted (to something).
  4. 4
    An event, location, or business that has a tendency to draw interest from visitors, and in many cases, local residents.
  5. 5
    The sacrifice of pieces in order to expose the enemy king.
  6. 6
    An error in language production that incorrectly extends a feature from one word in a sentence to another, e.g. when a verb agrees with a noun other than its subject.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ-der.? Latin trahō Latin attrahō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin attractiōder. Old French attractionbor. Middle English attraccioun English attraction From Middle English attraccioun, from Old French attraction, from Latin attractio from past participle of attrahō (= ad + trahō), equivalent to attract + -ion.

Synonyms

charmpull

Antonyms

repulsion

This word in other languages

atracción(Español)attraction(Français)Anziehung(Deutsch)atração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atraction,atrtaction,attarction,attracction,attraciton,attracsion,attractino,attractionn,attractoin,attracttion,attratcion,attrcation,attrraction,tatraction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of attraction - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

atraction1atrtaction2attarction2attracction1attraciton2attracsion1attractino2attractionn1
Edit distance from "attraction"

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 "attraction"?
"attraction" is spelled A-T-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtɹækʃn̩/.
What does "attraction" mean?
As a noun, "attraction" means: The tendency to attract.
What words are commonly confused with "attraction"?
"attraction" is commonly confused with "attrition", "attractive", "abstraction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "attraction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attraction" is /əˈtɹækʃn̩/. 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 "attraction"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ-der.? Latin trahō Latin attrahō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin attractiōder. Old French attraction... 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.

Using “attraction”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-T-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈtɹækʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “attrition” - see the side-by-side comparison. attraction vs attrition
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list