contentious

/kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/

//kənˈtɛn.ʃəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“contentious” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,298. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,298
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marked by heated arguments or controversy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contentious · contentious · English

contentious · rank #19,298 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,298
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH constituencies

Nearest frequency peer: constituencies (-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 “contentious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contentious” 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).

contentious vs conventions
82% similar
contentious vs contention
82% similar

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

Key facts for contentious
PropertyValue
Headwordcontentious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#19,298
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contentious”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).contentiouslands 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 “constituencies” (#19,297), “conquering” (#19,296), “Corbyn” (#19,300). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contentious” is #19,298. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around contentious (IPA /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #19,298 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for contentious, with forms such as "ccontentious", "cnotentious", and "conetntious". 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, "conventions", "contention", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous. The correct English form is contentious, spelled C-O-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
  2. 2
    Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic's shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved.
  2. She was not a contentious person as the Other had been; she did not argue and contradict everything I said.

Etymology

From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous.

This word in other languages

controvertido(Español)controversé(Français)umstritten(Deutsch)controverso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontentious
  • cnotentious
  • conetntious
  • conntentious
  • contenitous
  • contenntious
  • contentiosu
  • contentiouss
  • contentiuos
  • contentoius
  • contenttious
  • contetnious
  • contnetious
  • conttentious
  • cotnentious
  • ocntentious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contentious - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccontentious1cnotentious2conetntious2conntentious1contenitous2contenntious1contentiosu2contentiouss1
Edit distance from "contentious"

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 "contentious"?
"contentious" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/.
What does "contentious" mean?
As an adjective, "contentious" means: Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
What words are commonly confused with "contentious"?
"contentious" is commonly confused with "conventions", "contention". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contentious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contentious" is /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/. 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 "contentious"?
From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous. 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 "contentious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dehydration#19,307categorized#19,282explanatory#19,329apprehended#19,264

Similar misspelling depth

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

Derbyshire16 variantsdissatisfied16 variantsfiltration16 variantstreacherous16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list