# extinction

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ · frequency rank #10,209

## Definitions
1. The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation.
2. The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.
3. The inability to perceive multiple stimuli simultaneously.
4. The fading of a conditioned response over time if it is not reinforced.

## Etymology
From late Middle English, borrowed from Latin extinctio (“extinction, annihilation”), from extinguere, past participle extinctus (“to extinguish”); see extinguish.

## Easily confused with
- **extraction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/extinction-vs-extraction)

## Common misspellings (16)
`etxinction`, `exitnction`, `exticntion`, `extincction`, `extinciton`, `extincsion`, `extinctino`, `extinctionn`, `extinctoin`, `extincttion`, `extinnction`, `extintcion`, `extniction`, `exttinction`, `exxtinction`, `xetinction`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/extinction