motion

/ˈməʊ.ʃən/

//ˈməʊ.ʃən// noun

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

"motion" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“motion” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,545. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,545
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A change whereby something goes from one place to another; a state of progression from one place to another; a change of position with respect to time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-motion · motion · English

motion · rank #2,545 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,545
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mile

Nearest frequency peer: mile (-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 “motion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “motion” 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).

motion vs moto
67% similar
motion vs motor
67% similar
motion vs motto
67% similar

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

Key facts for motion
PropertyValue
Headwordmotion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈməʊ.ʃən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,545
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “motion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).motionlands 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 “mile” (#2,544), “moves” (#2,546), “matches” (#2,543). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “motion” is #2,545. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around motion (IPA /ˈməʊ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,545 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 motion, with forms such as "mmotion", "moiton", and "mosion". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "moto", "motor", "motto", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English mocioun, mocion, from Anglo-Norman motion, Middle French motion, and their etymon Latin mōtiō (“movement, motion”), related to movēre, from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- (“to move”). The correct English form is motion, spelled M-O-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A change whereby something goes from one place to another; a state of progression from one place to another; a change of position with respect to time.
  2. 2
    A parliamentary action to propose something. A similar procedure in any official or business meeting.
  3. 3
    An entertainment or show, especially a puppet show.
  4. 4
    from κίνησις (kinesis); any change. Traditionally of four types: generation and corruption, alteration, augmentation and diminution, and change of place.
  5. 5
    Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or impulse to any action; internal activity.
  6. 6
    A formal request, oral or written, made to a judge or court of law to obtain an official court ruling or order for a legal action to be taken by, or on behalf of, the movant.
  7. 7
    A movement of the bowels; the product of such movement.
  8. 8
    Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in the same part or in groups of parts. (Conjunct motion is that by single degrees of the scale. Contrary motion is when parts move in opposite directions. Disjunct motion is motion by skips. Oblique motion is when one part is stationary while another moves. Similar or direct motion is when parts move in the same direction.)
  9. 9
    A puppet, or puppet show.
  10. 10
    A piece of moving mechanism, such as on a steam locomotive.
  11. 11
    Success; achievements, especially those that others cannot match.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This is the great wheel to which the clock owes its motion.
  2. Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever, unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English mocioun, mocion, from Anglo-Norman motion, Middle French motion, and their etymon Latin mōtiō (“movement, motion”), related to movēre, from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- (“to move”).

This word in other languages

movimiento(Español)mouvement(Français)Bewegung(Deutsch)movimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmotion
  • moiton
  • mosion
  • motino
  • motionn
  • motoin
  • mottion
  • mtoion
  • omtion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmotion1moiton2mosion1motino2motionn1motoin2mottion1mtoion2
Edit distance from "motion"

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 "motion"?
"motion" is spelled M-O-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈməʊ.ʃən/.
What does "motion" mean?
As a noun, "motion" means: A change whereby something goes from one place to another; a state of progression from one place to another; a change of position with respect to time.
What words are commonly confused with "motion"?
"motion" is commonly confused with "moto", "motor", "motto". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "motion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "motion" is /ˈməʊ.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 "motion"?
Inherited from Middle English mocioun, mocion, from Anglo-Norman motion, Middle French motion, and their etymon Latin mōtiō (“movement, motion”), related to movēre, from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- (“to move”). 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 "motion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gender#2,539fucked#2,538saving#2,557dreams#2,532

Similar misspelling depth

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

danger9 variantsattitude9 variantsBrazil9 variantsadults9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list