profession

/pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/

//pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“profession” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,826 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,826
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A declaration of faith.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

profession vs professor
80% similar
profession vs progression
82% similar
profession vs professional
83% similar

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

Key facts for profession
PropertyValue
Headwordprofession
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,826
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “profession” 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). profession 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 profession is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,826 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for profession, with forms such as "porfession", "pprofession", and "prfoession". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "professor", "progression", "professional", 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 professioun, from Anglo-Norman professioun, Old French profession (“declaration of faith, religious vows, occupation”), from Latin professiō (“avowal, public declaration”), from the participle stem of profitērī (“to profess”). By surface… The correct English form is profession, spelled P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A declaration of faith.
  2. 2
    A declaration of faith.
  3. 3
    A declaration of faith.
  4. 4
    A professional occupation.
  5. 5
    A professional occupation.

Etymology

From Middle English professioun, from Anglo-Norman professioun, Old French profession (“declaration of faith, religious vows, occupation”), from Latin professiō (“avowal, public declaration”), from the participle stem of profitērī (“to profess”). By surface analysis, profess + -ion.

This word in other languages

profesión(Español)profession(Français)Bekenntnis(Deutsch)profissão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porfession,pprofession,prfoession,proefssion,profesion,profesison,professino,professionn,professoin,profestion,proffession,profsesion,prrofession,rpofession

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porfession2pprofession1prfoession2proefssion2profesion1profesison2professino2professionn1
Edit distance from "profession"

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 "profession"?
"profession" is spelled P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/.
What does "profession" mean?
As a noun, "profession" means: A declaration of faith.
What words are commonly confused with "profession"?
"profession" is commonly confused with "professor", "progression", "professional". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "profession"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "profession" is /pɹəˈfɛʃ.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 "profession"?
From Middle English professioun, from Anglo-Norman professioun, Old French profession (“declaration of faith, religious vows, occupation”), from Latin professiō (“avowal, public declaration”), from the participle stem of profitērī (“to profess”). ... 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 “profession”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “professor” - see the side-by-side comparison. profession vs professor
  • 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