insertion
/ɪnˈsɝʃən/
"insertion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“insertion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,110 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,110
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of inserting, or something inserted.
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 | insertion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈsɝʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #18,110 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “insertion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for insertion is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈsɝʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,110 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 insertion, with forms such as "inesrtion", "innsertion", and "inseriton". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "intention", "invention", "inversion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From insert + -ion. The correct English form is insertion, spelled I-N-S-E-R-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of inserting, or something inserted.
- 2The distal end of attachment of a muscle to a bone that will be moved by the muscle.
- 3The addition of a nucleotide to a chromosome by mutation.
- 4The process of going from subcritical to prompt critical.
Etymology
From insert + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inesrtion,innsertion,inseriton,inserrtion,insersion,insertino,insertionn,insertoin,inserttion,insetrion,insretion,inssertion,isnertion,nisertion
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of insertion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "insertion"?
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Using “insertion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-S-E-R-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈsɝʃən/ (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. insertion 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.