digestion

/daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/

//daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“digestion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,312. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,312
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process, in the gastrointestinal tract, by which food is converted into substances that can be used by the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-digestion · digestion · English

digestion · rank #19,312 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,312
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Derbyshire

Nearest frequency peer: Derbyshire (-2 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 “digestion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “digestion” 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).

digestion vs direction
78% similar
digestion vs digestive
78% similar

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

Key facts for digestion
PropertyValue
Headworddigestion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,312
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “digestion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).digestionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Derbyshire” (#19,310), “dissatisfied” (#19,314), “denomination” (#19,309). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “digestion” is #19,312. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around digestion (IPA /daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,312 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for digestion, with forms such as "ddigestion", "dgiestion", and "diegstion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "direction", "digestive", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French digestion. Partly displaced native Old English melting (“melting, digestion”). The correct English form is digestion, spelled D-I-G-E-S-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process, in the gastrointestinal tract, by which food is converted into substances that can be used by the body.
  2. 2
    The result of this process.
  3. 3
    The ability to use this process.
  4. 4
    The processing of decay in organic matter assisted by microorganisms.
  5. 5
    The assimilation and understanding of ideas.
  6. 6
    Generation of pus; suppuration.
  7. 7
    Dissolution of a sample into a solution by means of adding acid and heat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the dead state all is apparently without motion. No agent within indicates design, intelligence, or foresight: there is no respiration; no digestion, circulation, or nutrition; […]
  2. As for Grierson, he poured liquor into himself as if it were so much soothing syrup, demonstrating that a good digestion is the highest form of good conscience.

Etymology

From Old French digestion. Partly displaced native Old English melting (“melting, digestion”).

This word in other languages

digestión(Español)digestion(Français)Verdauung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddigestion
  • dgiestion
  • diegstion
  • digesiton
  • digession
  • digesstion
  • digestino
  • digestionn
  • digestoin
  • digesttion
  • digetsion
  • diggestion
  • digsetion
  • idgestion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddigestion1dgiestion2diegstion2digesiton2digession1digesstion1digestino2digestionn1
Edit distance from "digestion"

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 "digestion"?
"digestion" is spelled D-I-G-E-S-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/.
What does "digestion" mean?
As a noun, "digestion" means: The process, in the gastrointestinal tract, by which food is converted into substances that can be used by the body.
What words are commonly confused with "digestion"?
"digestion" is commonly confused with "direction", "digestive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "digestion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "digestion" is /daɪˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/. 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 "digestion"?
From Old French digestion. Partly displaced native Old English melting (“melting, digestion”). 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 "digestion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deadliest#19,305engraving#19,326extremism#19,330Fairfield#19,331

Similar misspelling depth

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

formatting14 variantsFrancesca14 variantsFrancesco14 variantsascending14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list