inquisition

/ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən/

//ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən// noun

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

"inquisition" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inquisition” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,348. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,348
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An inquiry or investigation into the truth of some matter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inquisition · inquisition · English

inquisition · rank #18,348 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,348
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ingenious

Nearest frequency peer: ingenious (-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 “inquisition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inquisition” 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).

inquisition vs inquisitor
82% similar
inquisition vs inquisitive
82% similar

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

Key facts for inquisition
PropertyValue
Headwordinquisition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#18,348
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inquisition”

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).inquisitionlands 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 “ingenious” (#18,347), “improperly” (#18,346), “impoverished” (#18,345). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inquisition” is #18,348. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around inquisition (IPA /ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,348 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for inquisition, with forms such as "innquisition", "inqiusition", and "inqquisition". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "inquisitor", "inquisitive", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio, from inquirere. The sense implying persecution is influenced by the name of the Spanish Inquisition, which is a cardinal exemplar of government inquisitions that give inquisitions a bad name. The correct English form is inquisition, spelled I-N-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inquiry or investigation into the truth of some matter.
  2. 2
    An inquiry or investigation into the truth of some matter.
  3. 3
    An inquest.
  4. 4
    A questioning.
  5. 5
    The finding of a jury, especially such a finding under a writ of inquiry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But as farrefoorth as I coulde learne, through earneſt inquiſition I thoughte in my conſcience the woman was not gilty, all the circumſtances well conſydered.
  2. Let not search and inquisition quail / To bring again these foolish runaways.

Etymology

From Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio, from inquirere. The sense implying persecution is influenced by the name of the Spanish Inquisition, which is a cardinal exemplar of government inquisitions that give inquisitions a bad name.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innquisition
  • inqiusition
  • inqquisition
  • inquiistion
  • inquisiiton
  • inquisision
  • inquisitino
  • inquisitionn
  • inquisitoin
  • inquisittion
  • inquissition
  • inquistiion
  • inqusiition
  • inuqisition
  • iqnuisition
  • niquisition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inquisition - 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.

innquisition1inqiusition2inqquisition1inquiistion2inquisiiton2inquisision1inquisitino2inquisitionn1
Edit distance from "inquisition"

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 "inquisition"?
"inquisition" is spelled I-N-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən/.
What does "inquisition" mean?
As a noun, "inquisition" means: An inquiry or investigation into the truth of some matter.
What words are commonly confused with "inquisition"?
"inquisition" is commonly confused with "inquisitor", "inquisitive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inquisition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inquisition" is /ˌɪŋkwɪˈzɪʃən/. 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 "inquisition"?
From Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio, from inquirere. The sense implying persecution is influenced by the name of the Spanish Inquisition, which is a cardinal exemplar of government inquisitions that give inquisitions a bad name. 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 "inquisition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grammatical#18,324excessively#18,306exceedingly#18,305reinforcing#18,412

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

improperly16 variantsillumination16 variantsMcLaughlin16 variantsostensibly16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list