emotion

/ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/

//ɪˈməʊ.ʃən// noun

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

"emotion" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emotion” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,215 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,215
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Movement; agitation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

emotion vs erosion
71% similar
emotion vs emotive
71% similar
emotion vs emotions
88% similar

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

Key facts for emotion
PropertyValue
Headwordemotion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,215
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emotion” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for emotion is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,215 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for emotion, with forms such as "emmotion", "emoiton", and "emosion". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "erosion", "emotive", "emotions", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French emotion (modern French émotion), from émouvoir (“excite”), based on Latin ēmōtus, past participle of ēmoveō (“to move out, move away, remove, stir up, irritate”), from ē- (“out”) (variant of ex-), and moveō (“move”). The correct English form is emotion, spelled E-M-O-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Movement; agitation.
  2. 2
    A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data.
  3. 3
    A reaction by a non-human organism with behavioral and physiological elements similar to a person's response.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French emotion (modern French émotion), from émouvoir (“excite”), based on Latin ēmōtus, past participle of ēmoveō (“to move out, move away, remove, stir up, irritate”), from ē- (“out”) (variant of ex-), and moveō (“move”).

Synonyms

feelingaffectemotionkibunsensationsentimentsennimenttouch

This word in other languages

afecto(Español)émotion(Français)Gefühl(Deutsch)emoção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emmotion,emoiton,emosion,emotino,emotionn,emotoin,emottion,emtoion,eomtion,meotion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of emotion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

emmotion1emoiton2emosion1emotino2emotionn1emotoin2emottion1emtoion2
Edit distance from "emotion"

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 "emotion"?
"emotion" is spelled E-M-O-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/.
What does "emotion" mean?
As a noun, "emotion" means: Movement; agitation.
What words are commonly confused with "emotion"?
"emotion" is commonly confused with "erosion", "emotive", "emotions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emotion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emotion" is /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/. 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 "emotion"?
Borrowed from Middle French emotion (modern French émotion), from émouvoir (“excite”), based on Latin ēmōtus, past participle of ēmoveō (“to move out, move away, remove, stir up, irritate”), from ē- (“out”) (variant of ex-), and moveō (“move”). 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.

Using “emotion”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-O-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “erosion” - see the side-by-side comparison. emotion vs erosion
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list