contraction

/kənˈtɹækʃn̩/

//kənˈtɹækʃn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“contraction” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,786. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,786
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contraction · contraction · English

contraction · rank #15,786 · 18 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,786
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH consultancy

Nearest frequency peer: consultancy (-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 “contraction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contraction” 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).

contraction vs contractor
82% similar
contraction vs contrition
82% similar
contraction vs contraption
91% similar

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

Key facts for contraction
PropertyValue
Headwordcontraction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɹækʃn̩/
Letters11
Frequency rank#15,786
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contraction”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).contractionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “consultancy” (#15,785), “contrasting” (#15,787), “convergence” (#15,788). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contraction” is #15,786. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around contraction (IPA /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,786 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for contraction, with forms such as "ccontraction", "cnotraction", and "conntraction". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "contractor", "contrition", "contraption", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English contraccioun, contraxion (“spasm, contraction; constriction, shrinking; act of pressing together”), from Old French contraction (modern French contraction), from Latin contractiō(n) (“a drawing together, contraction; … The correct English form is contraction, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  11. 11
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  12. 12
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
  13. 13
    Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors.
  2. the contraction of malaria

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English contraccioun, contraxion (“spasm, contraction; constriction, shrinking; act of pressing together”), from Old French contraction (modern French contraction), from Latin contractiō(n) (“a drawing together, contraction; abridgement, shortening; dejection, despondency”), from contrahō (“to draw things together, assemble, collect, gather; to enter into a contract”) + -tiō(n) (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or their results). Contrahō is derived from con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of objects) + trahō (“to drag, pull”) (probably from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to drag, pull; to run”)). By surface analysis, contract + -ion (suffix denoting actions or processes, or their results).

This word in other languages

contracción(Español)contraction(Français)Annahme(Deutsch)contração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontraction
  • cnotraction
  • conntraction
  • conrtaction
  • contarction
  • contracction
  • contraciton
  • contracsion
  • contractino
  • contractionn
  • contractoin
  • contracttion
  • contratcion
  • contrcation
  • contrraction
  • conttraction
  • cotnraction
  • ocntraction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontraction1cnotraction2conntraction1conrtaction2contarction2contracction1contraciton2contracsion1
Edit distance from "contraction"

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 "contraction"?
"contraction" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/.
What does "contraction" mean?
As a noun, "contraction" means: Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
What words are commonly confused with "contraction"?
"contraction" is commonly confused with "contractor", "contrition", "contraption". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contraction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contraction" is /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/. 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 "contraction"?
PIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English contraccioun, contraxion (“spasm, contraction; constriction, shrinking; act of pressing together”), from Old French contraction (modern French contraction), from Latin contractiō(n) (“a drawing together, con... 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 "contraction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

consultancy#15,785contrasting#15,787convergence#15,788confinement#15,783

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

respectfully18 variantsinconvenient18 variantsbiodiversity18 variantsrighteousness18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list