dissection
/dɪˈsɛkʃən/
"dissection" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dissection” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,517 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,517
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of dissecting.
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 | dissection |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈsɛkʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #28,517 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dissection” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dissection is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈsɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,517 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 dissection, with forms such as "ddissection", "disection", and "disesction". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "dissension", "direction", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin dissectiōnem, perhaps via Middle French dissection. By surface analysis, dissect + -ion. The correct English form is dissection, spelled D-I-S-S-E-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of dissecting.
- 2Something dissected.
- 3A minute and detailed examination or analysis.
- 4Surgical removal.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dissectiōnem, perhaps via Middle French dissection. By surface analysis, dissect + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddissection,disection,disesction,disscetion,dissecction,disseciton,dissecsion,dissectino,dissectionn,dissectoin,dissecttion,dissetcion,dsisection,idssection
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dissection - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "dissection"?
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Using “dissection”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-S-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈsɛkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dissension” - see the side-by-side comparison. dissection vs dissension
- 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.