percussion

/pɚˈkʌʃən/

//pɚˈkʌʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“percussion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,920. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,920
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.

Corpus desk

Index EN-percussion · percussion · English

percussion · rank #17,920 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,920
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pelvic

Nearest frequency peer: pelvic (-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 “percussion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “percussion” 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).

percussion vs perfusion
80% similar
percussion vs permission
80% similar
percussion vs persuasion
80% similar

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

Key facts for percussion
PropertyValue
Headwordpercussion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɚˈkʌʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#17,920
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “percussion”

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).percussionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pelvic” (#17,919), “pigment” (#17,921), “parting” (#17,918). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “percussion” is #17,920. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around percussion (IPA /pɚˈkʌʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,920 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for percussion, with forms such as "eprcussion", "pecrussion", and "perccussion". 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. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "perfusion", "permission", "persuasion", 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 percussioun, from Middle French, Old French percussion, from Latin percussiō (“striking”), from percutiō (“I strike”). The correct English form is percussion, spelled P-E-R-C-U-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.
  2. 2
    The sound so produced.
  3. 3
    The detonation of a percussion cap in a firearm.
  4. 4
    The tapping of the body as an aid to medical diagnosis.
  5. 5
    The section of an orchestra or band containing percussion instruments; such instruments considered as a group; in bands, may be separate from drum kits.
  6. 6
    The repeated striking of an object to break or shape it, as in percussion drilling.
  7. 7
    The outer side of the hand.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Moreover, a perfect Medal has its Profile and out-ſtroaks ſharp (Nummus aſper) and by no means rugged; the Figures clean and well poliſh'd; the Contours neatly trimm'd, and exactly round and carefully preſerv'd; that the Extancy and Relievos correſpond with the Ingraving, and have not ſuffer'd in Percuſſion; in all which, there is a certain Spirit of Anti…

Etymology

From Middle English percussioun, from Middle French, Old French percussion, from Latin percussiō (“striking”), from percutiō (“I strike”).

This word in other languages

percusión(Español)percussion(Français)Perkussion(Deutsch)percussão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprcussion
  • pecrussion
  • perccussion
  • percsusion
  • percusion
  • percusison
  • percussino
  • percussionn
  • percussoin
  • percustion
  • perrcussion
  • perucssion
  • ppercussion
  • precussion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eprcussion2pecrussion2perccussion1percsusion2percusion1percusison2percussino2percussionn1
Edit distance from "percussion"

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 "percussion"?
"percussion" is spelled P-E-R-C-U-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɚˈkʌʃən/.
What does "percussion" mean?
As a noun, "percussion" means: The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.
What words are commonly confused with "percussion"?
"percussion" is commonly confused with "perfusion", "permission", "persuasion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "percussion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "percussion" is /pɚˈkʌʃən/. 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 "percussion"?
From Middle English percussioun, from Middle French, Old French percussion, from Latin percussiō (“striking”), from percutiō (“I strike”). 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 "percussion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

predictive#17,926motherhood#17,904rutherford#17,946saturation#17,950

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

registrar14 variantsinterracial14 variantstransient14 variantsanarchist14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list