passion

/ˈpæʃən/

//ˈpæʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“passion” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,382 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,382
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A true desire sustained or prolonged.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

passion vs pension
71% similar
passion vs passive
71% similar
passion vs passions
88% similar

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

Key facts for passion
PropertyValue
Headwordpassion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,382
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “passion” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). passion lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for passion is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpæʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,382 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for passion, with forms such as "apssion", "pasion", and "pasison". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "pension", "passive", "passions", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- Proto-Italic *patosder.? Proto-Indo-European *pet-der.? Latin patior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin passiōbor. Old English passion ▲ Latin passiōbor. Old French passionbor. Middle … The correct English form is passion, spelled P-A-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A true desire sustained or prolonged.
  2. 2
    Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate.
  3. 3
    Fervor, determination.
  4. 4
    An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.
  5. 5
    Sexual intercourse, especially when very emotional.
  6. 6
    The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion.
  7. 7
    A display, musical composition, or play meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus.
  8. 8
    Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress.
  9. 9
    The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition
  10. 10
    The capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
  11. 11
    An innate attribute, property, or quality of a thing.
  12. 12
    Disorder of the mind; madness.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- Proto-Italic *patosder.? Proto-Indo-European *pet-der.? Latin patior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin passiōbor. Old English passion ▲ Latin passiōbor. Old French passionbor. Middle English passioun English passion From Middle English passioun, passion, from Old French passion (and in part from Old English passion), from Latin passio (“suffering”), noun of action from perfect passive participle passus (“suffered”), from deponent verb patior (“to suffer”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”), see also Old English fēond (“devil, enemy”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (faian, “to blame”).

Synonyms

ardorfire in the bellyzeal

This word in other languages

pasión(Español)passion(Français)Leidenschaft(Deutsch)paixão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apssion,pasion,pasison,passino,passionn,passoin,pastion,ppassion,psasion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of passion - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apssion2pasion1pasison2passino2passionn1passoin2pastion1ppassion1
Edit distance from "passion"

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 "passion"?
"passion" is spelled P-A-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæʃən/.
What does "passion" mean?
As a noun, "passion" means: A true desire sustained or prolonged.
What words are commonly confused with "passion"?
"passion" is commonly confused with "pension", "passive", "passions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "passion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passion" is /ˈpæʃən/. 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 "passion"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- Proto-Italic *patosder.? Proto-Indo-European *pet-der.? Latin patior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin passiōbor. Old English passion ▲ Latin passiōbor. Old French passionbo... 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.

Using “passion”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpæʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pension” - see the side-by-side comparison. passion vs pension
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list