contradiction

/ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/

//ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən// noun

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

"contradiction" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contradiction” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,992. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,992
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
21
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-contradiction · contradiction · English

contradiction · rank #15,992 · 21 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,992
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coronation

Nearest frequency peer: coronation (+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 “contradiction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contradiction” 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).

contradiction vs contraction
85% similar

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

Key facts for contradiction
PropertyValue
Headwordcontradiction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#15,992
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contradiction”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).contradictionlands 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 “coronation” (#15,993), “confidentiality” (#15,990), “confederation” (#15,989). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contradiction” is #15,992. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around contradiction (IPA /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,992 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for contradiction, with forms such as "ccontradiction", "cnotradiction", and "conntradiction". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "contraction", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English contradiccioun, contradiction, from Old French contradiction, from Latin contrādictiō, from contrādīcō (“speak against”). The correct English form is contradiction, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of contradicting.
  2. 2
    A statement that contradicts itself, i.e., a statement that claims that the same thing is true and that it is false at the same time and in the same senses of the terms.
  3. 3
    A logical inconsistency among two or more elements or propositions.
  4. 4
    A proposition that is false for all values of its propositional variables or Boolean atoms.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His contradiction of the proposal was very interesting.
  2. There is a contradiction in Clarence Page's statement that a woman should have the right to choose and decide for herself whether to have an abortion and at the same time she should not have that right.

Etymology

From Middle English contradiccioun, contradiction, from Old French contradiction, from Latin contrādictiō, from contrādīcō (“speak against”).

Synonyms

oxymoron↯⇒⇐⊥↮※

Antonyms

tautology

This word in other languages

contradicción(Español)contradiction(Français)Widerspruch(Deutsch)contradição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontradiction
  • cnotradiction
  • conntradiction
  • conrtadiction
  • contardiction
  • contradcition
  • contraddiction
  • contradicction
  • contradiciton
  • contradicsion
  • contradictino
  • contradictionn
  • contradictoin
  • contradicttion
  • contraditcion
  • contraidction
  • contrdaiction
  • contrradiction
  • conttradiction
  • cotnradiction
  • ocntradiction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontradiction1cnotradiction2conntradiction1conrtadiction2contardiction2contradcition2contraddiction1contradicction1
Edit distance from "contradiction"

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 "contradiction"?
"contradiction" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/.
What does "contradiction" mean?
As a noun, "contradiction" means: The act of contradicting.
What words are commonly confused with "contradiction"?
"contradiction" is commonly confused with "contraction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contradiction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contradiction" is /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/. 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 "contradiction"?
From Middle English contradiccioun, contradiction, from Old French contradiction, from Latin contrādictiō, from contrādīcō (“speak against”). 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 "contradiction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

confederation#15,989strategically#16,141globalization#15,822inadvertently#16,252

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (21 here; floor ≥5).

competitiveness21 variantscontradictory21 variantsunconventional21 variantsdifferentiation21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list