collection

/kəˈlɛkʃən/

//kəˈlɛkʃən// noun

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

"collection" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“collection” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,161 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,161
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A set of items or amount of material procured, gathered or presented together.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

collection vs collector
80% similar
collection vs connection
80% similar
collection vs collective
80% similar

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

Key facts for collection
PropertyValue
Headwordcollection
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈlɛkʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,161
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “collection” 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). collection 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 collection is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəˈlɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,161 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for collection, with forms such as "ccollection", "clolection", and "colection". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "collector", "connection", "collective", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English colleccioun, collection, from Old French collection, from Latin collēctiō, collēctiōnem, from collēctus, from colligō (“collect together”), composed of con- + legō (“bring together, gather, collect”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European … The correct English form is collection, spelled C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A set of items or amount of material procured, gathered or presented together.
  2. 2
    A set of pitch classes used by a composer.
  3. 3
    The activity of collecting.
  4. 4
    A set of sets; used because such a thing is in general too large to comply with the formal definition of a set.
  5. 5
    A gathering of money for charitable or other purposes, as by passing a contribution box for donations.
  6. 6
    Debt collection.
  7. 7
    The act of inferring or concluding from premises or observed facts; also, that which is inferred.
  8. 8
    The jurisdiction of a collector of excise.
  9. 9
    A set of college exams generally taken at the start of the term.
  10. 10
    The quality of being collected; calm composure.

Etymology

From Middle English colleccioun, collection, from Old French collection, from Latin collēctiō, collēctiōnem, from collēctus, from colligō (“collect together”), composed of con- + legō (“bring together, gather, collect”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather, collect”). Equivalen to collect + -ion.

This word in other languages

colección(Español)collection(Français)Sammlung(Deutsch)coleção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccollection,clolection,colection,colelction,collcetion,collecction,colleciton,collecsion,collectino,collectionn,collectoin,collecttion,colletcion,ocllection

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccollection1clolection2colection1colelction2collcetion2collecction1colleciton2collecsion1
Edit distance from "collection"

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 "collection"?
"collection" is spelled C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈlɛkʃən/.
What does "collection" mean?
As a noun, "collection" means: A set of items or amount of material procured, gathered or presented together.
What words are commonly confused with "collection"?
"collection" is commonly confused with "collector", "connection", "collective". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "collection"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collection" is /kəˈlɛkʃən/. 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 "collection"?
From Middle English colleccioun, collection, from Old French collection, from Latin collēctiō, collēctiōnem, from collēctus, from colligō (“collect together”), composed of con- + legō (“bring together, gather, collect”), ultimately from Proto-Indo... 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 “collection”

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

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