extortion

/ɪkˈstɔːʃən/

//ɪkˈstɔːʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“extortion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,833. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,833
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The practice of extorting money or other property by the use of force or threats.

Corpus desk

Index EN-extortion · extortion · English

extortion · rank #19,833 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #19,833
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exporter

Nearest frequency peer: exporter (-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 “extortion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “extortion” 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).

extortion vs exertion
78% similar

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

Key facts for extortion
PropertyValue
Headwordextortion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪkˈstɔːʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,833
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “extortion”

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).extortionlands 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 “exporter” (#19,832), “excite” (#19,831), “ey” (#19,835). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “extortion” is #19,833. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around extortion (IPA /ɪkˈstɔːʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,833 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The practice of extorting money or other property by the use of force or threats.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for extortion, with forms such as "etxortion", "exotrtion", and "extoriton". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "exertion", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman extorcion, extorcioun, extorsioun, from Late Latin extortiō, from extorqueō. The correct English form is extortion, spelled E-X-T-O-R-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The practice of extorting money or other property by the use of force or threats.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Heck, what's a little extortion among friends?

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman extorcion, extorcioun, extorsioun, from Late Latin extortiō, from extorqueō.

This word in other languages

extorsión(Español)extorsion(Français)Erpressung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etxortion
  • exotrtion
  • extoriton
  • extorrtion
  • extorsion
  • extortino
  • extortionn
  • extortoin
  • extorttion
  • extotrion
  • extrotion
  • exttortion
  • exxtortion
  • xetortion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etxortion2exotrtion2extoriton2extorrtion1extorsion1extortino2extortionn1extortoin2
Edit distance from "extortion"

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 "extortion"?
"extortion" is spelled E-X-T-O-R-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈstɔːʃən/.
What does "extortion" mean?
As a noun, "extortion" means: The practice of extorting money or other property by the use of force or threats.
What words are commonly confused with "extortion"?
"extortion" is commonly confused with "exertion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "extortion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "extortion" is /ɪkˈstɔːʃən/. 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 "extortion"?
From Anglo-Norman extorcion, extorcioun, extorsioun, from Late Latin extortiō, from extorqueō. 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 "extortion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

eradicate#19,830Donaldson#19,819doctrines#19,817daredevil#19,807

Similar misspelling depth

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

construed14 variantsbloodshed14 variantsMozambique14 variantsadversary14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list