opposition

/ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/

//ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən// noun

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

"opposition" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“opposition” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,635. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,635
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of opposing or of being in conflict.

Corpus desk

Index EN-opposition · opposition · English

opposition · rank #2,635 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,635
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH occurred

Nearest frequency peer: occurred (-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 “opposition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “opposition” 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
Key facts for opposition
PropertyValue
Headwordopposition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,635
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “opposition”

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).oppositionlands 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 “occurred” (#2,634), “parent” (#2,636), “normally” (#2,633). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “opposition” is #2,635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around opposition (IPA /ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,635 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for opposition, with forms such as "opopsition", "oposition", and "oppoistion". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English opposicioun, from Old French oposicion (whence French opposition), from Late Latin oppositiō, translating Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις (antíthesis), from the past participle stem of classical Latin oppōnō (“I set against”). Equivalent to oppo… The correct English form is opposition, spelled O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of opposing or of being in conflict.
  2. 2
    An opposite or contrasting position.
  3. 3
    The apparent relative position of two celestial bodies when one is at an angle of 180 degrees from the other as seen from the Earth.
  4. 4
    A political party or movement opposed to the party or government in power.
  5. 5
    In United States intellectual property law, a proceeding in which an interested party seeks to prevent the registration of a trademark or patent.
  6. 6
    A position in which the player on the move must yield with his king allowing his opponent to advance with his own king.
  7. 7
    The difference of quantity or quality between two propositions having the same subject and predicate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The two politicians are in opposition to the bill.
  2. The proposal met with strong opposition from local residents.

Etymology

From Middle English opposicioun, from Old French oposicion (whence French opposition), from Late Latin oppositiō, translating Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις (antíthesis), from the past participle stem of classical Latin oppōnō (“I set against”). Equivalent to oppose + -ition.

Antonyms

apposition

This word in other languages

oposición(Español)opposition(Français)Opposition(Deutsch)oposição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opopsition
  • oposition
  • oppoistion
  • opposiiton
  • opposision
  • oppositino
  • oppositionn
  • oppositoin
  • opposittion
  • oppossition
  • oppostiion
  • oppsoition
  • poposition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opopsition2oposition1oppoistion2opposiiton2opposision1oppositino2oppositionn1oppositoin2
Edit distance from "opposition"

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 "opposition"?
"opposition" is spelled O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/.
What does "opposition" mean?
As a noun, "opposition" means: The action of opposing or of being in conflict.
What are common misspellings of "opposition"?
Common misspellings include "opopsition", "oposition", "oppoistion", "opposiiton", "opposision". The correct spelling is "opposition".
How do you pronounce "opposition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "opposition" is /ˌɒp.əˈzɪʃ.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 "opposition"?
From Middle English opposicioun, from Old French oposicion (whence French opposition), from Late Latin oppositiō, translating Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις (antíthesis), from the past participle stem of classical Latin oppōnō (“I set against”). Equivale... 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 "opposition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

personally#2,638ultimately#2,651basketball#2,657understood#2,603

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

sentence13 variantsexclusive13 variantspartners13 variantspregnant13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list