defection

/dɪˈfɛkʃən/

//dɪˈfɛkʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“defection” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,346
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act or incidence of defecting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defection · defection · English

defection · rank #32,346 · 14 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,346
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delightfully

Nearest frequency peer: delightfully (+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 “defection”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “defection” 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).

defection vs deletion
78% similar
defection vs defector
78% similar
defection vs direction
78% similar

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

Key facts for defection
PropertyValue
Headworddefection
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈfɛkʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,346
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “defection”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “delightfully” (#32,347), “deathly” (#32,344), “dermatitis” (#32,348). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “defection” is #32,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around defection (IPA /dɪˈfɛkʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,346 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An act or incidence of defecting.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for defection, with forms such as "ddefection", "deefction", and "defcetion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "deletion", "defector", "direction", 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 Latin dēfectiō (stem dēfectiōn-). The correct English form is defection, spelled D-E-F-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act or incidence of defecting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. military defection
  2. political defection

Etymology

From Latin dēfectiō (stem dēfectiōn-).

This word in other languages

défection(Français)Überlaufen(Deutsch)deserção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefection
  • deefction
  • defcetion
  • defecction
  • defeciton
  • defecsion
  • defectino
  • defectionn
  • defectoin
  • defecttion
  • defetcion
  • deffection
  • dfeection
  • edfection

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddefection1deefction2defcetion2defecction1defeciton2defecsion1defectino2defectionn1
Edit distance from "defection"

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 "defection"?
"defection" is spelled D-E-F-E-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfɛkʃən/.
What does "defection" mean?
As a noun, "defection" means: An act or incidence of defecting.
What words are commonly confused with "defection"?
"defection" is commonly confused with "deletion", "defector", "direction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "defection"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defection" is /dɪˈfɛkʃən/. 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 "defection"?
From Latin dēfectiō (stem dēfectiōn-). 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 "defection", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crouching#32,337Creighton#32,336crackling#32,334columbine#32,328

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

dynamical14 variantschromatic14 variantsgeneralize14 variantsadmirably14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list