infection
/ɪnˈfɛkʃən/
"infection" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“infection” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,093 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,093
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act or process of infecting.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | infection |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #4,093 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “infection” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for infection is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,093 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for infection, with forms such as "ifnection", "inefction", and "infcetion". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "intention", "inflation", "invention", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French infection, from Late Latin īnfectiō. Equivalent to infect + -ion. The correct English form is infection, spelled I-N-F-E-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act or process of infecting.
- 2An uncontrolled growth of harmful microorganisms in a host.
- 3A disease caused by such presence of a pathogen.
- 4A visible sign of such a disease, such as the suppuration of a wound.
Etymology
From Old French infection, from Late Latin īnfectiō. Equivalent to infect + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ifnection,inefction,infcetion,infecction,infeciton,infecsion,infectino,infectionn,infectoin,infecttion,infetcion,inffection,innfection,nifection
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of infection - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "infection"?
What does "infection" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "infection"?
How do you pronounce "infection"?
What is the origin of the word "infection"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “infection”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “intention” - see the side-by-side comparison. infection vs intention
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.