collision

/kəˈlɪʒn̩/

//kəˈlɪʒn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“collision” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,662. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,662
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An instance of colliding.

Corpus desk

Index EN-collision · collision · English

collision · rank #7,662 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,662
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH col

Nearest frequency peer: col (-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 “collision”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “collision” 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).

collision vs collusion
89% similar
collision vs coalition
78% similar
collision vs collation
78% similar

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

Key facts for collision
PropertyValue
Headwordcollision
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈlɪʒn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,662
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “collision”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).collisionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “col” (#7,661), “Colombia” (#7,663), “chi” (#7,660). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “collision” is #7,662. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around collision (IPA /kəˈlɪʒn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,662 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for collision, with forms such as "ccollision", "clolision", and "colilsion". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "collusion", "coalition", "collation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French collision, from Late Latin collīsiō, from Latin collīdere, past participle collīsus (“to dash together”); see collide. cf. allision. The correct English form is collision, spelled C-O-L-L-I-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An instance of colliding.
  2. 2
    Any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. In a collision, physical contact of two bodies is not necessary.
  3. 3
    Clipping of naming collision.
  4. 4
    Clipping of collision detection; tangibility.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He has retired due to the collision.
  2. At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had re…

Etymology

From Middle French collision, from Late Latin collīsiō, from Latin collīdere, past participle collīsus (“to dash together”); see collide. cf. allision.

This word in other languages

colisión(Español)collision(Français)Zusammenstoß(Deutsch)colisão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccollision
  • clolision
  • colilsion
  • colision
  • colliison
  • collisino
  • collisionn
  • collisoin
  • collission
  • collition
  • collsiion
  • ocllision

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of collision - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccollision1clolision2colilsion2colision1colliison2collisino2collisionn1collisoin2
Edit distance from "collision"

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 "collision"?
"collision" is spelled C-O-L-L-I-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈlɪʒn̩/.
What does "collision" mean?
As a noun, "collision" means: An instance of colliding.
What words are commonly confused with "collision"?
"collision" is commonly confused with "collusion", "coalition", "collation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "collision"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collision" is /kəˈlɪʒn̩/. 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 "collision"?
From Middle French collision, from Late Latin collīsiō, from Latin collīdere, past participle collīsus (“to dash together”); see collide. cf. allision. 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 "collision", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

corrected#7,666appealing#7,647ambitious#7,644advocates#7,642

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

consumed12 variantsaccessories12 variantswelcomed12 variantshomeland12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list