compassion

/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/

//kəmˈpæʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“compassion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,664. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,664
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

Corpus desk

Index EN-compassion · compassion · English

compassion · rank #7,664 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,664
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Colombia

Nearest frequency peer: Colombia (-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 “compassion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “compassion” 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).

compassion vs compulsion
80% similar
compassion vs compression
82% similar
compassion vs companion
80% similar

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

Key facts for compassion
PropertyValue
Headwordcompassion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,664
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “compassion”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).compassionlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Colombia” (#7,663), “consumed” (#7,665), “collision” (#7,662). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “compassion” is #7,664. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around compassion (IPA /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,664 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for compassion, with forms such as "ccompassion", "cmopassion", and "comapssion". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "compulsion", "compression", "companion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see passion. The correct English form is compassion, spelled C-O-M-P-A-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
  2. 2
    Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.
  2. Other people's problems, they overwhelm my mind / They say compassion is a virtue, but I don't have the time

Etymology

From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see passion.

Synonyms

empathymercyruthpitysorrowtenderheartednesskindnessheartmercyruthtenderheartednessbowelscommiserationcompassionfellow feelingremorseruesympathyloving-kindness

Antonyms

compassionlessnesspitilessnessruthlessnessuncompassionunpity

This word in other languages

compasión(Español)compassion(Français)Mitleid(Deutsch)compaixão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompassion
  • cmopassion
  • comapssion
  • commpassion
  • compasion
  • compasison
  • compassino
  • compassionn
  • compassoin
  • compastion
  • comppassion
  • compsasion
  • copmassion
  • ocmpassion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of compassion - 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.

ccompassion1cmopassion2comapssion2commpassion1compasion1compasison2compassino2compassionn1
Edit distance from "compassion"

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 "compassion"?
"compassion" is spelled C-O-M-P-A-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/.
What does "compassion" mean?
As a noun, "compassion" means: Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
What words are commonly confused with "compassion"?
"compassion" is commonly confused with "compulsion", "compression", "companion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "compassion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compassion" is /kəmˈpæʃ.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 "compassion"?
From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see ... 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 "compassion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

correction#7,667supposedly#7,619meditation#7,714revelation#7,604

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Frederick14 variantstouchdown14 variantslicensing14 variantssalvation14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list