contrition

/kənˈtɹɪʃən/

//kənˈtɹɪʃən// noun

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

"contrition" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contrition” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,859. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,859
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contrition · contrition · English

contrition · rank #45,859 · 16 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,859
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contaminant

Nearest frequency peer: contaminant (-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 “contrition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contrition” 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).

contrition vs condition
80% similar
contrition vs contention
80% similar
contrition vs contraction
82% similar

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

Key facts for contrition
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɹɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#45,859
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contrition”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).contritionlands 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 “contaminant” (#45,858), “counterclockwise” (#45,863), “crevice” (#45,864). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contrition” is #45,859. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around contrition (IPA /kənˈtɹɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,859 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for contrition, with forms such as "ccontrition", "cnotrition", and "conntrition". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "condition", "contention", "contraction", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French contriciun (French contrition), from Latin contrītiō. The correct English form is contrition, spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
  2. 2
    The act of grinding or rubbing to powder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jonathan's mother told Grace on a recent phone call that Jonathan showed no sign of remorse or contrition for his own sister's passing.
  2. President Trump on Tuesday showed no contrition or regret for instigating the mob that stormed the Capitol and threatened the lives of members of Congress and his vice president, saying that his remarks to a rally beforehand were “totally appropriate” and that the effort by Congress to impeach and convict him was “causing tremendous anger.”

Etymology

From Old French contriciun (French contrition), from Latin contrītiō.

This word in other languages

contrición(Español)contrition(Français)Reue(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontrition
  • cnotrition
  • conntrition
  • conrtition
  • contirtion
  • contriiton
  • contrision
  • contritino
  • contritionn
  • contritoin
  • contrittion
  • contrrition
  • contrtiion
  • conttrition
  • cotnrition
  • ocntrition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontrition1cnotrition2conntrition1conrtition2contirtion2contriiton2contrision1contritino2
Edit distance from "contrition"

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 "contrition"?
"contrition" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹɪʃən/.
What does "contrition" mean?
As a noun, "contrition" means: The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
What words are commonly confused with "contrition"?
"contrition" is commonly confused with "condition", "contention", "contraction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contrition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrition" is /kənˈtɹɪʃən/. 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 "contrition"?
From Old French contriciun (French contrition), from Latin contrītiō. 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 "contrition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

degeneracy#45,877centrality#45,837disloyalty#45,885dreadlocks#45,898

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

demoralized16 variantsBraithwaite16 variantsescarpment16 variantsassertiveness16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list