desertion

/dɪˈzɜːʃən/

//dɪˈzɜːʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“desertion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,855. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,855
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of deserting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desertion · desertion · English

desertion · rank #34,855 · 14 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,855
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dens

Nearest frequency peer: dens (-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 “desertion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “desertion” 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).

desertion vs detection
78% similar
desertion vs detention
78% similar
desertion vs desperation
82% similar

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

Key facts for desertion
PropertyValue
Headworddesertion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈzɜːʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,855
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “desertion”

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).desertionlands 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 “dens” (#34,854), “detainee” (#34,856), “deftly” (#34,853). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desertion” is #34,855. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around desertion (IPA /dɪˈzɜːʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,855 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of deserting.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for desertion, with forms such as "ddesertion", "deesrtion", and "deseriton". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "detection", "detention", "desperation", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French désertion. The correct English form is desertion, spelled D-E-S-E-R-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of deserting.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French désertion.

This word in other languages

deserción(Español)désertion(Français)Fahnenflucht(Deutsch)deserção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddesertion
  • deesrtion
  • deseriton
  • deserrtion
  • desersion
  • desertino
  • desertionn
  • desertoin
  • deserttion
  • desetrion
  • desretion
  • dessertion
  • dseertion
  • edsertion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of desertion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddesertion1deesrtion2deseriton2deserrtion1desersion1desertino2desertionn1desertoin2
Edit distance from "desertion"

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 "desertion"?
"desertion" is spelled D-E-S-E-R-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈzɜːʃən/.
What does "desertion" mean?
As a noun, "desertion" means: The act of deserting.
What words are commonly confused with "desertion"?
"desertion" is commonly confused with "detection", "detention", "desperation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "desertion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desertion" is /dɪˈzɜːʃən/. 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 "desertion"?
Borrowed from Middle French désertion. 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 "desertion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Coleridge#34,834excelsior#34,879frostbite#34,894Fulbright#34,896

Similar misspelling depth

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

inquisitor14 variantsLufthansa14 variantsunbridled14 variantsTuscaloosa14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list