corrosion

/kəˈɹəʊʒən/

//kəˈɹəʊʒən// noun

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

"corrosion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“corrosion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,378 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,378
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of corroding or the condition so produced.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

corrosion vs corrosive
78% similar

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

Key facts for corrosion
PropertyValue
Headwordcorrosion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈɹəʊʒən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,378
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “corrosion” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). corrosion lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for corrosion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəˈɹəʊʒən/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,378 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 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for corrosion, with forms such as "ccorrosion", "cororsion", and "corosion". 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, "corrosive", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English corrosioun, from Old French corrosion, or its source, Late Latin corrōsiōnem, accusative singular of corrōsiō (“gnawing away, corroding”), from Latin corrōdō (“gnaw away, corrode”). The correct English form is corrosion, spelled C-O-R-R-O-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of corroding or the condition so produced.
  2. 2
    A substance (such as rust) so formed.
  3. 3
    Erosion by chemical action, especially oxidation.
  4. 4
    The gradual destruction or undermining of something.

Etymology

From Middle English corrosioun, from Old French corrosion, or its source, Late Latin corrōsiōnem, accusative singular of corrōsiō (“gnawing away, corroding”), from Latin corrōdō (“gnaw away, corrode”).

This word in other languages

corrosión(Español)corrosion(Français)Korrosion(Deutsch)corrosão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccorrosion,cororsion,corosion,corroison,corrosino,corrosionn,corrosoin,corrossion,corrotion,corrsoion,crorosion,ocrrosion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccorrosion1cororsion2corosion1corroison2corrosino2corrosionn1corrosoin2corrossion1
Edit distance from "corrosion"

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 "corrosion"?
"corrosion" is spelled C-O-R-R-O-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈɹəʊʒən/.
What does "corrosion" mean?
As a noun, "corrosion" means: The act of corroding or the condition so produced.
What words are commonly confused with "corrosion"?
"corrosion" is commonly confused with "corrosive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "corrosion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corrosion" is /kəˈɹəʊʒən/. 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 "corrosion"?
From Middle English corrosioun, from Old French corrosion, or its source, Late Latin corrōsiōnem, accusative singular of corrōsiō (“gnawing away, corroding”), from Latin corrōdō (“gnaw away, corrode”). 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.

Using “corrosion”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-R-O-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈɹəʊʒən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “corrosive” - see the side-by-side comparison. corrosion vs corrosive
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list