compulsion

/kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/

//kəmˈpʌl.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“compulsion” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,325. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,325
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences.

Corpus desk

Index EN-compulsion · compulsion · English

compulsion · rank #25,325 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,325
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concealing

Nearest frequency peer: concealing (+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 “compulsion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “compulsion” 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).

compulsion vs compulsive
80% similar
compulsion vs compassion
80% similar

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

Key facts for compulsion
PropertyValue
Headwordcompulsion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#25,325
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “compulsion”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).compulsionlands 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 “concealing” (#25,326), “Clooney” (#25,323), “condescending” (#25,327). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “compulsion” is #25,325. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around compulsion (IPA /kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,325 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for compulsion, with forms such as "ccompulsion", "cmopulsion", and "commpulsion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "compulsive", "compassion", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel. The correct English form is compulsion, spelled C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences.
  2. 2
    The use of authority, influence, or other power to force (compel) a person or persons to act.
  3. 3
    The lawful use of violence (i.e. by the administration).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. During the basketball game, I had a sudden compulsion to have a smoke.
  2. It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel.

This word in other languages

coacción(Español)Zwang(Deutsch)compulsão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompulsion
  • cmopulsion
  • commpulsion
  • complusion
  • comppulsion
  • compulison
  • compullsion
  • compulsino
  • compulsionn
  • compulsoin
  • compulssion
  • compultion
  • compuslion
  • comuplsion
  • copmulsion
  • ocmpulsion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of compulsion - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccompulsion1cmopulsion2commpulsion1complusion2comppulsion1compulison2compullsion1compulsino2
Edit distance from "compulsion"

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 "compulsion"?
"compulsion" is spelled C-O-M-P-U-L-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/.
What does "compulsion" mean?
As a noun, "compulsion" means: An irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences.
What words are commonly confused with "compulsion"?
"compulsion" is commonly confused with "compulsive", "compassion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "compulsion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compulsion" is /kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/. 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 "compulsion"?
Borrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel. 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 "compulsion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

concealing#25,326creatively#25,339Blackstone#25,300binoculars#25,299

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

condominium16 variantsArgentinian16 variantsundeveloped16 variantssubterranean16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list