exaction
/ɪɡˈzækʃən/noun
exaction is spelled E-X-A-C-T-I-O-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 34 million words in written English, the 178,202nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, exaction means “The act of demanding with authority, and compelling to pay or yield; compulsion to give or furnish; a levying by force” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of exaction is exactions.
How many letters and syllables are in exaction?
| Letters | 8: E-X-A-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 34 million words; the 178,202nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is exaction?
Exaction appears about once in every 34 million words in written English, the 178,202nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce exaction?
- /ɪɡˈzækʃən/
Exaction has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of exaction
- exactions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does exaction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of demanding with authority, and compelling to pay or yield; compulsion to give or furnish; a levying by force
the exaction to tribute or of obedience
- 2
extortion.
- 3
That which is exacted; a severe tribute; a fee, reward, or contribution, demanded or levied with severity or injustice.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Exaction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the act of demanding with authority:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | exacción |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does exaction come from?
From Middle English exaccioun, exaccion, from Middle French exaction, from Old French, from Latin exāctiō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).