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PlainSpell

attrition

/əˈtɹɪʃən/noun, verb

attrition is spelled A-T-T-R-I-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, attrition means “Grinding down or wearing away by friction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of attrition is attritions.

How many letters and syllables are in attrition?

Letters9: A-T-T-R-I-T-I-O-N
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is attrition?

Attrition appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce attrition?

  • US /əˈtɹɪʃən/
  • UK /əˈtɹɪʃn̩/

Attrition has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-attrition.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with attrition?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as attrition from its last stressed vowel (/ɪʃən/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: titration.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of attrition

  • attritions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • attritioning participle, present
  • attritioned participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does attrition mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Grinding down or wearing away by friction.

  2. 2

    The wearing of teeth due to their grinding.

  3. 3

    A gradual reduction in number.

  4. 4

    A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through injury, incapacitation, retirement, resignation, or death.

  5. 5

    The loss of participants during an experiment.

  6. 6

    The loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language.

  7. 7

    Imperfect contrition or remorse.

verb

  1. 1

    To grind or wear down through friction.

    attritioned teeth; attritioned rock

  2. 2

    To reduce the number of (jobs or workers) by not hiring new employees to fill positions that become vacant (often with out).

  3. 3

    To undergo a reduction in number.

    The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Attrition in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchusure (wearing by friction), départs volontaires (reduction in membership or personnel)
GermanVerschleiß, Abnutzung, Abrieb, Zermürbung, Abreibung, Abschürfung (wearing by friction)
Portugueseatrito (wearing by friction)
Spanishabrasión (wearing by friction), deserción (loss of participants during an experiment), atrición (theology: imperfect contrition or remorse), desgaste dental (wearing of teeth)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does attrition come from?

First attested in the 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.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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