conception

/kənˈsɛpʃən/

//kənˈsɛpʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“conception” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,348. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,348
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-conception · conception · English

conception · rank #10,348 · 16 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,348
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Congo

Nearest frequency peer: Congo (+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 “conception”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “conception” 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).

conception vs connection
80% similar
conception vs convention
80% similar
conception vs contention
80% similar

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

Key facts for conception
PropertyValue
Headwordconception
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈsɛpʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#10,348
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “conception”

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).conceptionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Congo” (#10,349), “Chloe” (#10,345), “cue” (#10,351). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conception” is #10,348. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around conception (IPA /kənˈsɛpʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,348 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for conception, with forms such as "cconception", "cnoception", and "cocneption". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "connection", "convention", "contention", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English concepcioun, borrowed from Old French conception, from Latin conceptiō (“a comprehending, a collection, composition, an expression, also a becoming pregnant”), from concipiō, past participle conceptus (“conceive”); see conceive. Equivale… The correct English form is conception, spelled C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of conceiving.
  2. 2
    The state of being conceived; the beginning.
  3. 3
    The fertilization of an ovum by a sperm to form a zygote.
  4. 4
    The start of pregnancy.
  5. 5
    The formation of a conceptus or an implanted embryo.
  6. 6
    The power or faculty of apprehending of forming an idea in the mind; the power of recalling a past sensation or perception; the ability to form mental abstractions.
  7. 7
    An image, idea, or notion formed in the mind; a concept, plan or design.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some powers diuine, or els infernall, mixt Their angry ſeedes at his conception: For he was neuer ſprong of humaine race, Since with the ſpirit of his fearefull pride, He dares so doubtleſly reſolue of rule.
  2. What the school books say about the united efforts of the two great Rossums is all a fairy tale. They used to have dreadful rows. The old atheist hadn't the slightest conception of industrial matters, and the end of it was that young Rossum shut him up in some laboratory or other and let him fritter the time away with his monstrosities, while he himself s…

Etymology

From Middle English concepcioun, borrowed from Old French conception, from Latin conceptiō (“a comprehending, a collection, composition, an expression, also a becoming pregnant”), from concipiō, past participle conceptus (“conceive”); see conceive. Equivalent to conceive + -tion.

Antonyms

misconception

This word in other languages

concepción(Español)conception(Français)Empfängnis(Deutsch)concepção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconception
  • cnoception
  • cocneption
  • concception
  • concepiton
  • concepption
  • concepsion
  • conceptino
  • conceptionn
  • conceptoin
  • concepttion
  • concetpion
  • concpetion
  • conecption
  • connception
  • ocnception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconception1cnoception2cocneption2concception1concepiton2concepption1concepsion1conceptino2
Edit distance from "conception"

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 "conception"?
"conception" is spelled C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈsɛpʃən/.
What does "conception" mean?
As a noun, "conception" means: The act of conceiving.
What words are commonly confused with "conception"?
"conception" is commonly confused with "connection", "convention", "contention". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conception" is /kənˈsɛpʃən/. 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 "conception"?
From Middle English concepcioun, borrowed from Old French conception, from Latin conceptiō (“a comprehending, a collection, composition, an expression, also a becoming pregnant”), from concipiō, past participle conceptus (“conceive”); see conceive... 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 "conception", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

internally#10,384transplant#10,299mentioning#10,399noticeable#10,412

Similar misspelling depth

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

eligibility16 variantsprotesting16 variantsscreenshot16 variantsspacecraft16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list