bastion

/ˈbæsti.ən/

//ˈbæsti.ən// noun

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

"bastion" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bastion” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,269. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,269
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bastion · bastion · English

bastion · rank #19,269 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,269
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH barb

Nearest frequency peer: barb (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bastion”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bastion” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bastion vs baton
71% similar
bastion vs Boston
57% similar
bastion vs basin
71% similar

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

Key facts for bastion
PropertyValue
Headwordbastion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæsti.ən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,269
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bastion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bastionlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “barb” (#19,268), “Beaumont” (#19,270), “Aubrey” (#19,267). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bastion” is #19,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around bastion (IPA /ˈbæsti.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,269 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bastion, with forms such as "abstion", "basiton", and "bassion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "baton", "Boston", "basin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1562. From French bastion, from Old French bastille (“fortress”). The correct English form is bastion, spelled B-A-S-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.
  2. 2
    A well-fortified position; a stronghold or citadel.
  3. 3
    A person, group, or thing, that strongly defends some principle.
  4. 4
    Any large prominence; something that resembles a bastion in size and form.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] Fort Camosun had swelled herself from being a little Hudson's Bay Fort, inside a stockade with bastions at the corners, into being the little town of Victoria, and the capital of British Columbia.
  2. a bastion of hope

Etymology

First attested in 1562. From French bastion, from Old French bastille (“fortress”).

This word in other languages

bastión(Español)bastion(Français)Bastion(Deutsch)bastião(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abstion
  • basiton
  • bassion
  • basstion
  • bastino
  • bastionn
  • bastoin
  • basttion
  • batsion
  • bbastion
  • bsation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bastion - 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.

abstion2basiton2bassion1basstion1bastino2bastionn1bastoin2basttion1
Edit distance from "bastion"

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 "bastion"?
"bastion" is spelled B-A-S-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæsti.ən/.
What does "bastion" mean?
As a noun, "bastion" means: A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.
What words are commonly confused with "bastion"?
"bastion" is commonly confused with "baton", "Boston", "basin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bastion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bastion" is /ˈbæsti.ən/. 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 "bastion"?
First attested in 1562. From French bastion, from Old French bastille (“fortress”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bastion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bolster#19,274Caitlin#19,277canning#19,280Wilkins#19,254

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Beaumont11 variantsWatford11 variantscohesive11 variantsTurnbull11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list