expansion

/ɪkˈspænʃən/

//ɪkˈspænʃən// noun

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

"expansion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“expansion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,791. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,791
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act, process, or instance of expanding.

Corpus desk

Index EN-expansion · expansion · English

expansion · rank #2,791 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,791
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exciting

Nearest frequency peer: exciting (-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 “expansion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “expansion” 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).

expansion vs extension
78% similar
expansion vs explosion
78% similar
expansion vs expulsion
78% similar

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

Key facts for expansion
PropertyValue
Headwordexpansion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪkˈspænʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,791
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “expansion”

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).expansionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “exciting” (#2,790), “he'll” (#2,792), “empire” (#2,789). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “expansion” is #2,791. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around expansion (IPA /ɪkˈspænʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,791 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for expansion, with forms such as "epxansion", "exapnsion", and "expanison". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "extension", "explosion", "expulsion", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French expansion, from Latin expānsiō. By surface analysis, expand + -sion. The correct English form is expansion, spelled E-X-P-A-N-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  2. 2
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  3. 3
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  4. 4
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  5. 5
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  6. 6
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  7. 7
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  8. 8
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  9. 9
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  10. 10
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  11. 11
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.
  12. 12
    An act, process, or instance of expanding.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The expansion of metals and plastics in response to heat is well understood.
  2. […] 1919, a time when African American hopes for a just future following their service in World War I were dashed by violent reassertions of white supremacy, including the efflorescence and expansion of the KKK into the Midwestern and northwestern U.S.

Etymology

Borrowed from French expansion, from Latin expānsiō. By surface analysis, expand + -sion.

Antonyms

contractionshrinkage

This word in other languages

expansión(Español)expansion(Français)Expansion(Deutsch)expansão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxansion
  • exapnsion
  • expanison
  • expannsion
  • expansino
  • expansionn
  • expansoin
  • expanssion
  • expantion
  • expasnion
  • expnasion
  • exppansion
  • exxpansion
  • xepansion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epxansion2exapnsion2expanison2expannsion1expansino2expansionn1expansoin2expanssion1
Edit distance from "expansion"

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 "expansion"?
"expansion" is spelled E-X-P-A-N-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈspænʃən/.
What does "expansion" mean?
As a noun, "expansion" means: An act, process, or instance of expanding.
What words are commonly confused with "expansion"?
"expansion" is commonly confused with "extension", "explosion", "expulsion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "expansion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "expansion" is /ɪkˈspænʃən/. 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 "expansion"?
Borrowed from French expansion, from Latin expānsiō. By surface analysis, expand + -sion. 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 "expansion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reporting#2,807worldwide#2,815practices#2,752Francisco#2,832

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

expression14 variantsexistence14 variantssecondary14 variantswondering14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list