contrition
/kənˈtɹɪʃən/noun
contrition is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, contrition means “The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of contrition is contritions.
How many letters and syllables are in contrition?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-T-R-I-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is contrition?
Contrition appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce contrition?
- /kənˈtɹɪʃən/
Contrition has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-contrition.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contrition
- contritions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contrition mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
- 2
obsoleteThe act of grinding or rubbing to powder.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contrition in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contrition, componction |
| German | Reue, Zerknirschung, Zerknirschtheit |
| Portuguese | contrição |
| Spanish | contrición |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does contrition come from?
From Old French contriciun (French contrition), from Latin contrītiō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).