attrition
/əˈtɹɪʃən/
"attrition" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“attrition” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,463 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,463
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | attrition |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈtɹɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #23,463 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “attrition” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for attrition is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈtɹɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,463 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for attrition, with forms such as "atrition", "atrtition", and "attirtion". 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, "attention", "attraction", "attribution", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: 15th century, from Middle English attricion, attricioun, from Middle French attricion, attrition and its etymon, Latin attrītiō (“a rubbing against”), from the verb attrītus, past participle of atterō (“to wear”), from ad- (“to, towards”) + terō (“to rub”).… The correct English form is attrition, spelled A-T-T-R-I-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
- 2Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
- 3A gradual reduction in number.
- 4A gradual reduction in number.
- 5A gradual reduction in number.
- 6A gradual reduction in number.
- 7Imperfect contrition or remorse.
Etymology
15th century, from Middle English attricion, attricioun, from Middle French attricion, attrition and its etymon, Latin attrītiō (“a rubbing against”), from the verb attrītus, past participle of atterō (“to wear”), from ad- (“to, towards”) + terō (“to rub”). By surface analysis, attrit + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: atrition,atrtition,attirtion,attriiton,attrision,attritino,attritionn,attritoin,attrittion,attrrition,attrtiion,tatrition
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of attrition - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "attrition"?
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Using “attrition”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-T-T-R-I-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈtɹɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “attention” - see the side-by-side comparison. attrition vs attention
- 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.