lotion
/ˈloʊʃən/
"lotion" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lotion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,066 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,066
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin.
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 | lotion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈloʊʃən/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #16,066 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lotion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lotion is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈloʊʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,066 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lotion, with forms such as "llotion", "loiton", and "losion". 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, "lotto", "Lovin", "Luton", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English locion, borrowed from Latin lōtiō, lōtiōnem (“a washing”), from lavō (“to wash”); see lave. Doublet of lavation. The correct English form is lotion, spelled L-O-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin.
- 2A washing, especially of the skin for the purpose of beautification.
Etymology
From Middle English locion, borrowed from Latin lōtiō, lōtiōnem (“a washing”), from lavō (“to wash”); see lave. Doublet of lavation.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: llotion,loiton,losion,lotino,lotionn,lotoin,lottion,ltoion,oltion
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lotion - 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 "lotion"?
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Using “lotion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-O-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈloʊʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “lotto” - see the side-by-side comparison. lotion vs lotto
- 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.