contagion

/kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/

//kənˈteɪd͡ʒən// noun

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

"contagion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contagion” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,788. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,788
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A disease spread by contact.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contagion · contagion · English

contagion · rank #27,788 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,788
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH consequential

Nearest frequency peer: consequential (-2 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 “contagion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contagion” 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).

contagion vs contain
78% similar
contagion vs contagious
80% similar

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

Key facts for contagion
PropertyValue
Headwordcontagion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,788
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contagion”

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).contagionlands 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 “consequential” (#27,786), “corset” (#27,790), “cortisol” (#27,791). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contagion” is #27,788. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around contagion (IPA /kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,788 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for contagion, with forms such as "ccontagion", "cnotagion", and "conatgion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "contain", "contagious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English (late 14th century), from Old French, from Latin contāgiō (“a touching, contact, contagion”) related to contingō (“touch closely”). The correct English form is contagion, spelled C-O-N-T-A-G-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A disease spread by contact.
  2. 2
    The spread or transmission of such a disease.
  3. 3
    The spread of anything likened to a contagious disease.
  4. 4
    The spread of anything likened to a contagious disease.
  5. 5
    A recession or crisis developed in such manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is true, they were a good-natured and respectable set of servants, who had lived so long in their places that they might be said, by a happy contagion, to have caught kindly feelings from their superiors, and, having assisted in saving the lives of the young ladies, gave them an interest in their pleasures, and a real delight in seeing those fair young…
  2. And it was German procrastination that aggravated the Greek crisis and caused the contagion that turned it into an existential crisis for Europe.

Etymology

From Middle English (late 14th century), from Old French, from Latin contāgiō (“a touching, contact, contagion”) related to contingō (“touch closely”).

This word in other languages

contagio(Español)contagion(Français)Ansteckung(Deutsch)contágio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontagion
  • cnotagion
  • conatgion
  • conntagion
  • contaggion
  • contagino
  • contagionn
  • contagoin
  • contaigon
  • contgaion
  • conttagion
  • cotnagion
  • ocntagion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontagion1cnotagion2conatgion2conntagion1contaggion1contagino2contagionn1contagoin2
Edit distance from "contagion"

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 "contagion"?
"contagion" is spelled C-O-N-T-A-G-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/.
What does "contagion" mean?
As a noun, "contagion" means: A disease spread by contact.
What words are commonly confused with "contagion"?
"contagion" is commonly confused with "contain", "contagious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contagion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contagion" is /kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/. 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 "contagion"?
From Middle English (late 14th century), from Old French, from Latin contāgiō (“a touching, contact, contagion”) related to contingō (“touch closely”). 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 "contagion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Congolese#27,783configure#27,781byproduct#27,763dispenser#27,813

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Bromwich13 variantsfronting13 variantsWinthrop13 variantswesterly13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list