notion

/ˈnəʊʃən/

//ˈnəʊʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“notion” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,441. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,441
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.

Corpus desk

Index EN-notion · notion · English

notion · rank #5,441 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,441
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH mysterious

Nearest frequency peer: mysterious (-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 “notion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “notion” 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).

notion vs notions
86% similar
notion vs notional
75% similar
notion vs noon
67% similar

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

Key facts for notion
PropertyValue
Headwordnotion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnəʊʃən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,441
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “notion”

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).notionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mysterious” (#5,440), “partial” (#5,442), “piss” (#5,443). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “notion” is #5,441. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around notion (IPA /ˈnəʊʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,441 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for notion, with forms such as "nnotion", "noiton", and "nosion". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "notions", "notional", "noon", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin nōtiō (“a becoming acquainted, a taking cognizance, an examination, an investigation, a conception, idea, notion”), from nōscō (“to know”). Compare French notion. See know. The correct English form is notion, spelled N-O-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
  2. 2
    A sentiment; an opinion.
  3. 3
    Sense; mind.
  4. 4
    An invention; an ingenious device; a knickknack.
  5. 5
    Any small article used in sewing and haberdashery, either for attachment to garments or as a tool, such as a button, zipper, or thimble.
  6. 6
    Inclination; intention; predisposition; disposition.
  7. 7
    Pretentiousness or overambition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What hath been generally agreed on, I content myself to assume under the notion of principles.
  2. 1705-1715, George Cheyne, The Philosophical Principles of Religion Natural and Revealed there are few that agree in their Notions about them:.

Etymology

From Latin nōtiō (“a becoming acquainted, a taking cognizance, an examination, an investigation, a conception, idea, notion”), from nōscō (“to know”). Compare French notion. See know.

This word in other languages

noción(Español)notion(Français)Ahnung(Deutsch)idéia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nnotion
  • noiton
  • nosion
  • notino
  • notionn
  • notoin
  • nottion
  • ntoion
  • ontion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of notion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nnotion1noiton2nosion1notino2notionn1notoin2nottion1ntoion2
Edit distance from "notion"

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 "notion"?
"notion" is spelled N-O-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnəʊʃən/.
What does "notion" mean?
As a noun, "notion" means: Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
What words are commonly confused with "notion"?
"notion" is commonly confused with "notions", "notional", "noon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "notion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "notion" is /ˈnəʊʃən/. 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 "notion"?
From Latin nōtiō (“a becoming acquainted, a taking cognizance, an examination, an investigation, a conception, idea, notion”), from nōscō (“to know”). Compare French notion. See know. 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 "notion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

layers#5,431gentle#5,419unfair#5,465comics#5,402

Similar misspelling depth

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

grammar9 variantsclouds9 variantsboxing9 variantsdeadly9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list