mission

/ˈmɪʃ.ən/

//ˈmɪʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mission” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,430. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,430
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mission · mission · English

mission · rank #1,430 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,430
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meaning

Nearest frequency peer: meaning (-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 “mission”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mission” 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).

mission vs missions
88% similar
mission vs minion
71% similar
mission vs million
71% similar

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

Key facts for mission
PropertyValue
Headwordmission
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪʃ.ən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,430
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mission”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).missionlands 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 “meaning” (#1,429), “nine” (#1,431), “mass” (#1,428). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mission” is #1,430. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around mission (IPA /ˈmɪʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,430 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for mission, with forms such as "imssion", "mision", and "misison". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "missions", "minion", "million", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”). The correct English form is mission, spelled M-I-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself.
  2. 2
    A important goal or purpose; an objective.
  3. 3
    A missionary expedition.
  4. 4
    Third World charities, particularly those which preach as well as provide aid.
  5. 5
    An infrequent gathering of religious believers in a parish, usually part of a larger regional event with a central theme.
  6. 6
    A number of people appointed to perform any service; a delegation; an embassy.
  7. 7
    Dismissal; discharge from service
  8. 8
    A settlement or building serving as a base for missionary work.
  9. 9
    An settlement predominantly inhabited by Indigenous Australians living in housing commission.
  10. 10
    A drug run.
  11. 11
    An ordeal; an difficult, trying task.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [She] made it her mission in life to make sure that no one around them would ever know the real truth. But this daughter of hers, she was a loose cannon, she was not someone to be trusted.[…]
  2. The first page [of her CV] was a statement of her mission and role in life, which was to add the highest value in everything she undertook. On page two, we listed her primary governing values and operating principles. The third page listed her objectives[…]

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”).

This word in other languages

misión(Español)mission(Français)Auftrag(Deutsch)missão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imssion
  • mision
  • misison
  • missino
  • missionn
  • missoin
  • mistion
  • mmission
  • msision

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imssion2mision1misison2missino2missionn1missoin2mistion1mmission1
Edit distance from "mission"

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 "mission"?
"mission" is spelled M-I-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪʃ.ən/.
What does "mission" mean?
As a noun, "mission" means: A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself.
What words are commonly confused with "mission"?
"mission" is commonly confused with "missions", "minion", "million". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mission"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mission" is /ˈmɪʃ.ən/. 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 "mission"?
Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”). 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 "mission", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

meaning#1,429economy#1,423weather#1,443William#1,414

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

status9 variantsagency9 variantsclaims9 variantstheory9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list