ingestion

/ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/

//ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ingestion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,321 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#29,321
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of ingesting, or consuming something orally, whether it be food, drink, medicine, or other substance. It is usually referred to as the first step of digestion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ingestion vs intention
78% similar
ingestion vs invention
78% similar
ingestion vs injection
78% similar

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

Key facts for ingestion
PropertyValue
Headwordingestion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#29,321
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ingestion” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ingestion lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ingestion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,321 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. 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 ingestion, with forms such as "ignestion", "inegstion", and "ingesiton". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "intention", "invention", "injection", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ingestionem, accusative of ingestio (“a pouring in”), action noun of the perfect passive participle of ingerere (“pour in”), from in- (“in, into”) + gero (“to carry, to bear”). The correct English form is ingestion, spelled I-N-G-E-S-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of ingesting, or consuming something orally, whether it be food, drink, medicine, or other substance. It is usually referred to as the first step of digestion.
  2. 2
    The process of ingesting something into a jet engine or an instance.
  3. 3
    Any intake of a substance into an organism.
  4. 4
    Intake of data into a computer system.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ingestionem, accusative of ingestio (“a pouring in”), action noun of the perfect passive participle of ingerere (“pour in”), from in- (“in, into”) + gero (“to carry, to bear”).

Antonyms

egestion

This word in other languages

ingestión(Español)ingestion(Français)ingestão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ignestion,inegstion,ingesiton,ingession,ingesstion,ingestino,ingestionn,ingestoin,ingesttion,ingetsion,inggestion,ingsetion,inngestion,nigestion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ignestion2inegstion2ingesiton2ingession1ingesstion1ingestino2ingestionn1ingestoin2
Edit distance from "ingestion"

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 "ingestion"?
"ingestion" is spelled I-N-G-E-S-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/.
What does "ingestion" mean?
As a noun, "ingestion" means: The process of ingesting, or consuming something orally, whether it be food, drink, medicine, or other substance. It is usually referred to as the first step of digestion.
What words are commonly confused with "ingestion"?
"ingestion" is commonly confused with "intention", "invention", "injection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ingestion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ingestion" is /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/. 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 "ingestion"?
Borrowed from Latin ingestionem, accusative of ingestio (“a pouring in”), action noun of the perfect passive participle of ingerere (“pour in”), from in- (“in, into”) + gero (“to carry, to bear”). 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.

Using “ingestion”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-G-E-S-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃən/ (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. ingestion 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list