mention

/ˈmɛnʃən/

//ˈmɛnʃən// noun

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

"mention" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mention” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,909. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,909
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A speaking or noticing of anything, usually in a brief or cursory manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mention · mention · English

mention · rank #1,909 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,909
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH medicine

Nearest frequency peer: medicine (-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 “mention”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mention” 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).

mention vs motion
71% similar
mention vs mentor
71% similar
mention vs minion
71% similar

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

Key facts for mention
PropertyValue
Headwordmention
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛnʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,909
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mention”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “medicine” (#1,908), “mountain” (#1,910), “likes” (#1,907). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mention” is #1,909. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around mention (IPA /ˈmɛnʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,909 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for mention, with forms such as "emntion", "meniton", and "menntion". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "motion", "mentor", "minion", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English mencioun, mention, from Old French mention, from Latin mentiōnem, accusative of mentiō (“a mention, calling to mind”). The correct English form is mention, spelled M-E-N-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A speaking or noticing of anything, usually in a brief or cursory manner.
  2. 2
    A social media feed, a list of replies or posts mentioning a person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I will make mention of thy righteousness.
  2. And sleep in dull, cold marble, where no mention / Of me more must be heard of.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English mencioun, mention, from Old French mention, from Latin mentiōnem, accusative of mentiō (“a mention, calling to mind”).

This word in other languages

mención(Español)Erwähnung(Deutsch)menção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emntion
  • meniton
  • menntion
  • mension
  • mentino
  • mentionn
  • mentoin
  • menttion
  • metnion
  • mmention
  • mnetion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emntion2meniton2menntion1mension1mentino2mentionn1mentoin2menttion1
Edit distance from "mention"

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 "mention"?
"mention" is spelled M-E-N-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛnʃən/.
What does "mention" mean?
As a noun, "mention" means: A speaking or noticing of anything, usually in a brief or cursory manner.
What words are commonly confused with "mention"?
"mention" is commonly confused with "motion", "mentor", "minion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mention"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mention" is /ˈmɛnʃən/. 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 "mention"?
Inherited from Middle English mencioun, mention, from Old French mention, from Latin mentiōnem, accusative of mentiō (“a mention, calling to mind”). 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 "mention", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nuclear#1,911figures#1,898Spanish#1,920dropped#1,895

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

medicine11 variantsmountain11 variantsvictory11 variantsaudience11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list