auction
/ˈɔkʃən/noun, verb
auction is spelled A-U-C-T-I-O-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, auction means “A public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of auction is auctions.
How many letters and syllables are in auction?
| Letters | 7: A-U-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 auction?
Auction appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st 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 auction?
- UK /ˈɔːkʃən/
- US /ˈɔkʃən/
- /ˈɑkʃən/
Auction has 2 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: En-us-auction.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with auction?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as auction (/ɔkʃən/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: caution.
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 auction
- auctions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- auctioning participle, present
- auctioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does auction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.
- 2
The first stage of a deal, in which players bid to determine the final contract.
verb
- 1
To sell at an auction.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Auction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | enchères, vente aux enchères |
| German | Versteigerung, Auktion , versteigern |
| Portuguese | leilão , leiloar |
| Spanish | subasta, remate, almoneda, aucción, licitación , subastar |
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 auction come from?
From Latin auctiō (“an increase, auction”), from augere (“to increase”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).