compulsion
com·pul·sion/kəmˈpʌlʃən/noun
compulsion is spelled C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables (com·pul·sion). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, compulsion means “An irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of compulsion is compulsions.
How many letters and syllables are in compulsion?
| Letters | 10: C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: com·pul·sion |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is compulsion?
Compulsion appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce compulsion?
- /kəmˈpʌlʃən/
- [kʰəɱˈpʰʌlʃən] ~ [kʰɱ̩ˈpʰʌlʃn̩]
Compulsion has 3 syllables, split com·pul·sion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-compulsion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of compulsion
- compulsions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compulsion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences.
During the basketball game, I had a sudden compulsion to have a smoke.
- 2
The use of authority, influence, or other power to force (compel) a person or persons to act.
- 3
The lawful use of violence (i.e. by the administration).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compulsion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Zwang, Zwangneurose |
| Portuguese | compulsão |
| Spanish | compulsión , coacción, coerción |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does compulsion come from?
Borrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).