option

/ˈɒpʃən/

//ˈɒpʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“option” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,669. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,669
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of a set of choices that can be made.

Corpus desk

Index EN-option · option · English

option · rank #1,669 · 8 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,669
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH obviously

Nearest frequency peer: obviously (-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 “option”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “option” 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).

option vs Orion
50% similar
option vs Orton
50% similar
option vs ovation
71% similar

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

Key facts for option
PropertyValue
Headwordoption
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒpʃən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,669
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “option”

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).optionlands 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 “obviously” (#1,668), “prison” (#1,670), “nations” (#1,667). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “option” is #1,669. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around option (IPA /ˈɒpʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,669 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for option, with forms such as "opiton", "opption", and "opsion". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Orion", "Orton", "ovation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French option, from Latin optiō (“choice; option; act of choosing”), from optō (“I choose, select”). Equivalent to opt + -ion. The correct English form is option, spelled O-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of a set of choices that can be made.
  2. 2
    The freedom or right to choose.
  3. 3
    A contract giving the holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a set strike price; can apply to financial market transactions, or to ordinary transactions for tangible assets such as a residence or automobile.
  4. 4
    The acquiring or retention of a nationality through personal choice as a right, bypassing selective legal mechanisms for naturalization, especially in cases where a territory is transferred or passed on from one state to another.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.
  2. Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they were in control.

Etymology

From French option, from Latin optiō (“choice; option; act of choosing”), from optō (“I choose, select”). Equivalent to opt + -ion.

Synonyms

alternativechoicepossibilityoptioncontingency

This word in other languages

opción(Español)choix(Français)Alternative(Deutsch)opção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opiton
  • opption
  • opsion
  • optino
  • optionn
  • optoin
  • opttion
  • otpion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opiton2opption1opsion1optino2optionn1optoin2opttion1otpion2
Edit distance from "option"

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 "option"?
"option" is spelled O-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒpʃən/.
What does "option" mean?
As a noun, "option" means: One of a set of choices that can be made.
What words are commonly confused with "option"?
"option" is commonly confused with "Orion", "Orton", "ovation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "option"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "option" is /ˈɒpʃən/. 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 "option"?
From French option, from Latin optiō (“choice; option; act of choosing”), from optō (“I choose, select”). Equivalent to opt + -ion. 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 "option", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

prison#1,670Monday#1,666senate#1,673method#1,664

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

arrived8 variantssupply8 variantssilver8 variantshandle8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list