competition

/ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/

//ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən// noun

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

"competition" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“competition” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,300. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,300
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of competing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-competition · competition · English

competition · rank #1,300 · 17 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,300
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH commission

Nearest frequency peer: commission (-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 “competition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “competition” 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).

competition vs competitor
82% similar
competition vs competitive
82% similar
competition vs composition
82% similar

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

Key facts for competition
PropertyValue
Headwordcompetition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#1,300
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “competition”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).competitionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “commission” (#1,299), “details” (#1,301), “color” (#1,298). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “competition” is #1,300. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around competition (IPA /ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,300 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for competition, with forms such as "ccompetition", "cmopetition", and "comeptition". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "competitor", "competitive", "composition", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French compétition, from Late Latin competītiō, competītiōnem, from Latin competō, from con- + petō. By surface analysis, compete + -ition. The correct English form is competition, spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of competing.
  2. 2
    A contest for a prize or award.
  3. 3
    The competitors in such a contest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The competition for this job is strong.
  2. The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…]. Our table in the dining-room became again the abode of scintillating wit and caustic repartee, Farrar bracing up to his old standard, and the demand for seats in the vicinity rose to an animated competition.

Etymology

Borrowed from French compétition, from Late Latin competītiō, competītiōnem, from Latin competō, from con- + petō. By surface analysis, compete + -ition.

Antonyms

cooperation

This word in other languages

competición(Español)compétition(Français)Konkurrenz(Deutsch)competição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompetition
  • cmopetition
  • comeptition
  • commpetition
  • compeittion
  • competiiton
  • competision
  • competitino
  • competitionn
  • competitoin
  • competittion
  • compettiion
  • compettition
  • comppetition
  • compteition
  • copmetition
  • ocmpetition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccompetition1cmopetition2comeptition2commpetition1compeittion2competiiton2competision1competitino2
Edit distance from "competition"

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 "competition"?
"competition" is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/.
What does "competition" mean?
As a noun, "competition" means: The action of competing.
What words are commonly confused with "competition"?
"competition" is commonly confused with "competitor", "competitive", "composition". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "competition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "competition" is /ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.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 "competition"?
Borrowed from French compétition, from Late Latin competītiō, competītiōnem, from Latin competō, from con- + petō. By surface analysis, compete + -ition. 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 "competition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

established#1,336independent#1,249opportunity#1,201responsible#1,407

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

environment17 variantssignificant17 variantsinteresting17 variantsintelligence17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list