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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,786 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,786
frequency rank, English
11
letters
18
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.

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)

Where “contraction” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). contraction lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for contraction is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,786 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “contraction”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “contractor” - see the side-by-side comparison. contraction vs contractor
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list