dispersion

/dɪˈspɜːʒən/

//dɪˈspɜːʒən// noun

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

"dispersion" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dispersion” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,954. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,954
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being dispersed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dispersion · dispersion · English

dispersion · rank #22,954 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,954
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disillusioned

Nearest frequency peer: disillusioned (-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 “dispersion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dispersion” 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).

dispersion vs diversion
80% similar
dispersion vs dissension
80% similar

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

Key facts for dispersion
PropertyValue
Headworddispersion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈspɜːʒən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#22,954
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dispersion”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “disillusioned” (#22,953), “Doha” (#22,955), “disabling” (#22,952). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dispersion” is #22,954. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around dispersion (IPA /dɪˈspɜːʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,954 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for dispersion, with forms such as "ddispersion", "dipsersion", and "diseprsion". 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, "diversion", "dissension", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dispersioun, from Old French dispersion, from Latin dispersiō. The correct English form is dispersion, spelled D-I-S-P-E-R-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being dispersed.
  2. 2
    A process of dispersing.
  3. 3
    The degree of scatter of data.
  4. 4
    The separation of waves of different frequency in space or time; the amount of such separation.
  5. 5
    The removal of inflammation.

Etymology

From Middle English dispersioun, from Old French dispersion, from Latin dispersiō.

This word in other languages

dispersion(Français)Verteilung(Deutsch)dispersão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddispersion
  • dipsersion
  • diseprsion
  • disperison
  • disperrsion
  • dispersino
  • dispersionn
  • dispersoin
  • disperssion
  • dispertion
  • dispesrion
  • disppersion
  • dispresion
  • disspersion
  • dsipersion
  • idspersion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddispersion1dipsersion2diseprsion2disperison2disperrsion1dispersino2dispersionn1dispersoin2
Edit distance from "dispersion"

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 "dispersion"?
"dispersion" is spelled D-I-S-P-E-R-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈspɜːʒən/.
What does "dispersion" mean?
As a noun, "dispersion" means: The state of being dispersed.
What words are commonly confused with "dispersion"?
"dispersion" is commonly confused with "diversion", "dissension". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dispersion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dispersion" is /dɪˈspɜːʒən/. 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 "dispersion"?
From Middle English dispersioun, from Old French dispersion, from Latin dispersiō. 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 "dispersion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

geothermal#22,982hopelessly#22,997insolvency#23,009adventurer#22,880

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

frantically16 variantsbachelorette16 variantsacademically16 variantsabstinence16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list