centurion

/sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/

//sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən// noun

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

"centurion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“centurion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,086 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,086
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An officer of the ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

centurion vs centuries
78% similar

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

Key facts for centurion
PropertyValue
Headwordcenturion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,086
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “centurion” 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). centurion lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for centurion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,086 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for centurion, with forms such as "ccenturion", "cennturion", and "centruion". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "centuries", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English centurioun, from Latin centuriō, centuriōnis (“a commander of a hundred, centurion”), from Latin centum (“a hundred”). Displaced native English hundreder and hundredman, from Middle English hundredman, from Old English hundredmann (“cent… The correct English form is centurion, spelled C-E-N-T-U-R-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An officer of the ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers.
  2. 2
    A player who scores a century.
  3. 3
    A pilot in the United States Navy who has performed one hundred night landings on an aircraft carrier.

Etymology

From Middle English centurioun, from Latin centuriō, centuriōnis (“a commander of a hundred, centurion”), from Latin centum (“a hundred”). Displaced native English hundreder and hundredman, from Middle English hundredman, from Old English hundredmann (“centurion”).

Synonyms

centeniercentenaryhundrederhundredman

This word in other languages

centurión(Español)centurion(Français)Zenturio(Deutsch)centurião(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccenturion,cennturion,centruion,centturion,centuiron,centurino,centurionn,centuroin,centurrion,cenutrion,cetnurion,cneturion,ecnturion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of centurion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccenturion1cennturion1centruion2centturion1centuiron2centurino2centurionn1centuroin2
Edit distance from "centurion"

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 "centurion"?
"centurion" is spelled C-E-N-T-U-R-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/.
What does "centurion" mean?
As a noun, "centurion" means: An officer of the ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers.
What words are commonly confused with "centurion"?
"centurion" is commonly confused with "centuries". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "centurion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "centurion" is /sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.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 "centurion"?
From Middle English centurioun, from Latin centuriō, centuriōnis (“a commander of a hundred, centurion”), from Latin centum (“a hundred”). Displaced native English hundreder and hundredman, from Middle English hundredman, from Old English hundredm... 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.

Using “centurion”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-E-N-T-U-R-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “centuries” - see the side-by-side comparison. centurion vs centuries
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list