benediction

Name: benediction, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/

//ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“benediction” is uncommon English (frequency #53,399 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,399
frequency rank, English: 31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service).

Key facts for benediction
Property	Value
Headword	benediction
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#53,399
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “benediction” 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). benediction lands here:

#53,399

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

benediction is uncommon English at frequency #53,399 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

benediction doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English benediccion, from Ecclesiastical Latin benedictio, benedictionis, from benedictus (“blessed; well spoken of”). Doublet of benison. The correct English form is benediction, spelled B-E-N-E-D-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service).
2
In the Anglican church, the ceremony used to institute an abbot, analogous to the consecration of a bishop.
3
A Roman Catholic rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water and formally dedicated to God.
4
Help, good fortune or reward from God or another supernatural source.

Etymology

From Middle English benediccion, from Ecclesiastical Latin benedictio, benedictionis, from benedictus (“blessed; well spoken of”). Doublet of benison.

Antonyms

malediction

This word in other languages

bénédiction(Français)bênção(Português)

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 "benediction"?

"benediction" is spelled B-E-N-E-D-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/.

What does "benediction" mean?

As a noun, "benediction" means: A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service).

How do you pronounce "benediction"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "benediction" is /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/. 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 "benediction"?

From Middle English benediccion, from Ecclesiastical Latin benedictio, benedictionis, from benedictus (“blessed; well spoken of”). Doublet of benison. See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

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Using “benediction”

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

The one correct English spelling is B-E-N-E-D-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.