pension

/ˈpɛnʃən/

//ˈpɛnʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pension” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,969. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,969
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An annuity paid regularly as benefit due to a retired employee, serviceman etc. in consideration of past services, originally and chiefly by a government but also by various private pension schemes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pension · pension · English

pension · rank #4,969 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,969
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH outfit

Nearest frequency peer: outfit (-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 “pension”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pension” 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).

pension vs person
71% similar
pension vs pinion
71% similar
pension vs Persian
57% similar

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

Key facts for pension
PropertyValue
Headwordpension
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛnʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,969
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pension”

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).pensionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “outfit” (#4,968), “permit” (#4,970), “Oliver” (#4,967). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pension” is #4,969. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around pension (IPA /ˈpɛnʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,969 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for pension, with forms such as "epnsion", "penison", and "pennsion". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "person", "pinion", "Persian", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pencioun, pensioun, from Anglo-Norman pencione, Old French pencion, and their source, Latin pēnsiō (“payment, weight, rent, compensation”), from the participle stem of pendō (“to weigh”). The correct English form is pension, spelled P-E-N-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An annuity paid regularly as benefit due to a retired employee, serviceman etc. in consideration of past services, originally and chiefly by a government but also by various private pension schemes.
  2. 2
    A wage or fee.
  3. 3
    A charge or expense of some kind; a tax.
  4. 4
    A sum paid to a clergyman in place of tithes.
  5. 5
    A regular allowance paid to support a royal favourite, or as patronage of an artist or scholar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Many old people depend on their pension to pay the bills.

Etymology

From Middle English pencioun, pensioun, from Anglo-Norman pencione, Old French pencion, and their source, Latin pēnsiō (“payment, weight, rent, compensation”), from the participle stem of pendō (“to weigh”).

Synonyms

superannuationrent

This word in other languages

pensión(Español)pension(Français)Pension(Deutsch)pensão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epnsion
  • penison
  • pennsion
  • pensino
  • pensionn
  • pensoin
  • penssion
  • pention
  • pesnion
  • pnesion
  • ppension

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epnsion2penison2pennsion1pensino2pensionn1pensoin2penssion1pention1
Edit distance from "pension"

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 "pension"?
"pension" is spelled P-E-N-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛnʃən/.
What does "pension" mean?
As a noun, "pension" means: An annuity paid regularly as benefit due to a retired employee, serviceman etc. in consideration of past services, originally and chiefly by a government but also by various private pension schemes.
What words are commonly confused with "pension"?
"pension" is commonly confused with "person", "pinion", "Persian". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pension"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pension" is /ˈpɛnʃən/. 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 "pension"?
From Middle English pencioun, pensioun, from Anglo-Norman pencione, Old French pencion, and their source, Latin pēnsiō (“payment, weight, rent, compensation”), from the participle stem of pendō (“to weigh”). 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 "pension", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

magical#4,963longest#4,962shorter#4,981tension#4,987

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

theories11 variantsgenerate11 variantsadvocate11 variantscustody11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list