election

/ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/

//ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n// noun

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

"election" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“election” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #870. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#870
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.

Corpus desk

Index EN-election · election · English

election · rank #870 · 12 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #870
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH door

Nearest frequency peer: door (-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 “election”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “election” 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).

election vs elector
75% similar
election vs electron
88% similar
election vs erection
88% similar

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

Key facts for election
PropertyValue
Headwordelection
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/
Letters8
Frequency rank#870
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “election”

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).electionlands 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 “door” (#869), “European” (#871), “currently” (#868). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “election” is #870. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around election (IPA /ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #870 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for election, with forms such as "eelction", "elcetion", and "elecction". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "elector", "electron", "erection", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English eleccioun, eleccion, from Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin ēlectiōn-, stem of ēlectiō (“choice, selection”), from ēligō (“to pluck out, to choose”). Equivalent to elect + -ion. The correct English form is election, spelled E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.
  2. 2
    The choice of a leader or representative by popular vote.
  3. 3
    An option that is selected.
  4. 4
    Any conscious choice.
  5. 5
    In Calvinism, God's predestination of saints including all of the elect.
  6. 6
    Those who are elected.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The parliamentary election(s) will be held in March.
  2. How did you vote in (UK also: at) the last election?

Etymology

From Middle English eleccioun, eleccion, from Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin ēlectiōn-, stem of ēlectiō (“choice, selection”), from ēligō (“to pluck out, to choose”). Equivalent to elect + -ion.

Synonyms

chosenness

This word in other languages

elección(Español)élection(Français)Wahl(Deutsch)eleição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eelction
  • elcetion
  • elecction
  • eleciton
  • elecsion
  • electino
  • electionn
  • electoin
  • electtion
  • eletcion
  • ellection
  • leection

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eelction2elcetion2elecction1eleciton2elecsion1electino2electionn1electoin2
Edit distance from "election"

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 "election"?
"election" is spelled E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/.
What does "election" mean?
As a noun, "election" means: A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.
What words are commonly confused with "election"?
"election" is commonly confused with "elector", "electron", "erection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "election"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "election" is /ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/. 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 "election"?
From Middle English eleccioun, eleccion, from Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin ēlectiōn-, stem of ēlectiō (“choice, selection”), from ēligō (“to pluck out, to choose”). Equivalent to elect + -ion. 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 "election", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

European#871continue#865increase#877decision#847

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

couldn't12 variantsdaughter12 variantsDecember12 variantsdifficult12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list