expulsion

/ɪkˈspʌlʃən/

//ɪkˈspʌlʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“expulsion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,910. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,910
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of expelling or the state of being expelled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-expulsion · expulsion · English

expulsion · rank #16,910 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,910
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH fades

Nearest frequency peer: fades (+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 “expulsion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “expulsion” 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).

expulsion vs emulsion
78% similar
expulsion vs expansion
78% similar
expulsion vs explosion
78% similar

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

Key facts for expulsion
PropertyValue
Headwordexpulsion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪkˈspʌlʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,910
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “expulsion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).expulsionlands 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 “fades” (#16,911), “FedEx” (#16,912), “figs” (#16,913). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “expulsion” is #16,910. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around expulsion (IPA /ɪkˈspʌlʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,910 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of expelling or the state of being expelled.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for expulsion, with forms such as "epxulsion", "explusion", and "exppulsion". 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, "emulsion", "expansion", "explosion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English expulsioun, from Old French expulsion, from Latin expulsio, expulsionem. The correct English form is expulsion, spelled E-X-P-U-L-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of expelling or the state of being expelled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The scandal involved every member of the high school's football team, resulting in a flurry of expulsions, starting with the quarterback.

Etymology

From Middle English expulsioun, from Old French expulsion, from Latin expulsio, expulsionem.

Antonyms

impulsion

This word in other languages

expulsión(Español)expulsion(Français)Entfernung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxulsion
  • explusion
  • exppulsion
  • expulison
  • expullsion
  • expulsino
  • expulsionn
  • expulsoin
  • expulssion
  • expultion
  • expuslion
  • exuplsion
  • exxpulsion
  • xepulsion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epxulsion2explusion2exppulsion1expulison2expullsion1expulsino2expulsionn1expulsoin2
Edit distance from "expulsion"

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 "expulsion"?
"expulsion" is spelled E-X-P-U-L-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈspʌlʃən/.
What does "expulsion" mean?
As a noun, "expulsion" means: The act of expelling or the state of being expelled.
What words are commonly confused with "expulsion"?
"expulsion" is commonly confused with "emulsion", "expansion", "explosion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "expulsion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "expulsion" is /ɪkˈspʌlʃən/. 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 "expulsion"?
From Middle English expulsioun, from Old French expulsion, from Latin expulsio, expulsionem. 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 "expulsion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

evergreen#16,905fortnight#16,920embarrass#16,898converter#16,873

Similar misspelling depth

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

indefinite14 variantscherished14 variantscandidacy14 variantsmonstrous14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list