misconception

/ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/

//ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən// noun

"misconception" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“misconception” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,871 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#21,871
frequency rank, English
13
letters
21
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A mistaken belief, a wrong idea.

Key facts for misconception
PropertyValue
Headwordmisconception
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#21,871
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “misconception” 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). misconception 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 misconception is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,871 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A mistaken belief, a wrong idea.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for misconception, with forms such as "imsconception", "micsonception", and "miscconception". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mis- + conception. The correct English form is misconception, spelled M-I-S-C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mistaken belief, a wrong idea.

Etymology

From mis- + conception.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imsconception,micsonception,miscconception,miscnoception,miscocneption,misconcception,misconcepiton,misconcepption,misconcepsion,misconceptino,misconceptionn,misconceptoin,misconcepttion,misconcetpion,misconcpetion,misconecption,misconnception,misocnception,missconception,mmisconception,msiconception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imsconception2micsonception2miscconception1miscnoception2miscocneption2misconcception1misconcepiton2misconcepption1
Edit distance from "misconception"

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 "misconception"?
"misconception" is spelled M-I-S-C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/.
What does "misconception" mean?
As a noun, "misconception" means: A mistaken belief, a wrong idea.
What are common misspellings of "misconception"?
Common misspellings include "imsconception", "micsonception", "miscconception", "miscnoception", "miscocneption". The correct spelling is "misconception".
How do you pronounce "misconception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "misconception" is /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/. 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 "misconception"?
From mis- + conception. 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 “misconception”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-I-S-C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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