detection
/dɪˈtɛk.ʃən/
"detection" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“detection” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,461 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #6,461
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act or process of detecting, uncovering, or finding out, the discovery of something new, hidden, or disguised.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | detection |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈtɛk.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #6,461 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “detection” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for detection is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈtɛk.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,461 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for detection, with forms such as "ddetection", "deetction", and "detcetion". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "detector", "direction", "detective", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin dētēctiōnem. By surface analysis, detect + -ion. The correct English form is detection, spelled D-E-T-E-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act or process of detecting, uncovering, or finding out, the discovery of something new, hidden, or disguised.
- 2Synonym of accusation, the exposure of concealed information about a crime or heresy.
- 3The act or process of finding or detecting an electrical signal in a carrier wave.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin dētēctiōnem. By surface analysis, detect + -ion.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddetection,deetction,detcetion,detecction,deteciton,detecsion,detectino,detectionn,detectoin,detecttion,detetcion,dettection,dteection,edtection
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of detection - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “detection”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-T-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈtɛk.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “detector” - see the side-by-side comparison. detection vs detector
- 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.