contradiction
/ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/
"contradiction" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contradiction” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,992 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,992
- frequency rank, English
- 13
- letters
- 21
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of contradicting.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contradiction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #15,992 |
| Misspellings tracked | 21 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contradiction” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for contradiction is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,992 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The act of contradicting.
- 2A 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.
- 3A logical inconsistency among two or more elements or propositions.
- 4A proposition that is false for all values of its propositional variables or Boolean atoms.
Etymology
From Middle English contradiccioun, contradiction, from Old French contradiction, from Latin contrādictiō, from contrādīcō (“speak against”).
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "contradiction" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "contradiction"?
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Using “contradiction”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “contraction” - see the side-by-side comparison. contradiction vs contraction
- 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.