contravention

/ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən/

//ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“contravention” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,091. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,091
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
21
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of contravening (a rule, regulation, law, or order) or of not fulfilling (an obligation, promise, or agreement).

Corpus desk

Index EN-contravention · contravention · English

contravention · rank #43,091 · 21 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,091
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contractually

Nearest frequency peer: contractually (-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 “contravention”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contravention” 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
Key facts for contravention
PropertyValue
Headwordcontravention
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#43,091
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contravention”

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).contraventionlands 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 “contractually” (#43,090), “copier” (#43,092), “conga” (#43,087). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contravention” is #43,091. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around contravention (IPA /ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,091 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of contravening (a rule, regulation, law, or order) or of not fulfilling (an obligation, promise, or agreement).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for contravention, with forms such as "ccontravention", "cnotravention", and "conntravention". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French contravention. The correct English form is contravention, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-V-E-N-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of contravening (a rule, regulation, law, or order) or of not fulfilling (an obligation, promise, or agreement).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Their contravention of the treaty increased international tensions.
  2. […]and the Royal Navy's officers, sometimes in direct contravention of their orders, decided that they would board and capture any slaver they came across, regardless of whatever flag they flew[…]

Etymology

From Middle French contravention.

Synonyms

oppositionobstructiontransgressionviolation

This word in other languages

contravención(Español)contravention(Français)Verletzung(Deutsch)contravenção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontravention
  • cnotravention
  • conntravention
  • conrtavention
  • contarvention
  • contraevntion
  • contraveniton
  • contravenntion
  • contravension
  • contraventino
  • contraventionn
  • contraventoin
  • contraventtion
  • contravetnion
  • contravnetion
  • contravvention
  • contrravention
  • contrvaention
  • conttravention
  • cotnravention
  • ocntravention

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontravention1cnotravention2conntravention1conrtavention2contarvention2contraevntion2contraveniton2contravenntion1
Edit distance from "contravention"

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 "contravention"?
"contravention" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-V-E-N-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən/.
What does "contravention" mean?
As a noun, "contravention" means: The act of contravening (a rule, regulation, law, or order) or of not fulfilling (an obligation, promise, or agreement).
What are common misspellings of "contravention"?
Common misspellings include "ccontravention", "cnotravention", "conntravention", "conrtavention", "contarvention". The correct spelling is "contravention".
How do you pronounce "contravention"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contravention" is /ˌkɒntɹəˈvɛntʃən/. 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 "contravention"?
From Middle French contravention. 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 "contravention", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

contractually#43,090extrajudicial#43,148transparently#42,960neuromuscular#43,278

Similar misspelling depth

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

macroeconomics21 variantsliberalisation21 variantsunsympathetic21 variantscollaboratively21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list