coercion

/koʊˈɜːʃən/

//koʊˈɜːʃən// noun

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

"coercion" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coercion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,313 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#20,313
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Actual or threatened force for the purpose of compelling action by another person; the act of coercing.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

coercion vs coercive
75% similar

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

Key facts for coercion
PropertyValue
Headwordcoercion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/koʊˈɜːʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,313
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coercion” 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). coercion 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 coercion is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /koʊˈɜːʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,313 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for coercion, with forms such as "ccoercion", "ceorcion", and "coecrion". 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, "coercive", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English cohercioun, from Old French cohercion, from Latin coërcitiō (“magisterial coercion”), from past participle coercitus of coërceō (“to restrain, coerce”), from co- (“with”) + arceō (“to shut in, enclose”); see coerce. The correct English form is coercion, spelled C-O-E-R-C-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Actual or threatened force for the purpose of compelling action by another person; the act of coercing.
  2. 2
    Use of physical or moral force to compel a person to do something, or to abstain from doing something, thereby depriving that person of the exercise of free will.
  3. 3
    A specific instance of coercing.
  4. 4
    Conversion of a value of one data type to a value of another data type.
  5. 5
    The process by which the meaning of a word or other linguistic element is reinterpreted to match the grammatical context.
  6. 6
    The initiation or threat of conflict; aggression.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English cohercioun, from Old French cohercion, from Latin coërcitiō (“magisterial coercion”), from past participle coercitus of coërceō (“to restrain, coerce”), from co- (“with”) + arceō (“to shut in, enclose”); see coerce.

Antonyms

noncoercion

This word in other languages

coerción(Español)coercition(Français)Zwang(Deutsch)coação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccoercion,ceorcion,coecrion,coerccion,coercino,coercionn,coercoin,coericon,coerrcion,corecion,ocercion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccoercion1ceorcion2coecrion2coerccion1coercino2coercionn1coercoin2coericon2
Edit distance from "coercion"

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 "coercion"?
"coercion" is spelled C-O-E-R-C-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /koʊˈɜːʃən/.
What does "coercion" mean?
As a noun, "coercion" means: Actual or threatened force for the purpose of compelling action by another person; the act of coercing.
What words are commonly confused with "coercion"?
"coercion" is commonly confused with "coercive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coercion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coercion" is /koʊˈɜːʃən/. 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 "coercion"?
Inherited from Middle English cohercioun, from Old French cohercion, from Latin coërcitiō (“magisterial coercion”), from past participle coercitus of coërceō (“to restrain, coerce”), from co- (“with”) + arceō (“to shut in, enclose”); see coerce. 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 “coercion”

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

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